Glory Days
by Horosha
Summary: After the botched wedding ceremony at the Tendo compound, Ranma is involved in a challenge with Mousse where Akane appears to die. Ranma willingly makes a decision and saves Akane's life but at a price.
1. Prolog

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Prolog: The Price

Location: Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.

To the Tokyoites living, working, shopping and having fun in Ikebukuro, the sky above was the typical dark clouds of early spring, ready to wet everything with cool showers. Only the muggy heat of the late afternoon suggested it might be more.

In an ally way near the train terminal there limped a young male. Any passerby could mistake him for a homeless teenager, his clothes looked foreign and covered in dirt, with torn holes in his tight black pants and crimson Chinese shirt. The limp in his walk plus the bruises and newly scabbed cuts caused several observers to avoid him, they believing he could be some gangbanger, a tough who lost the fight and was looking for a place to lick his wounds.

"Why couldn't she stay out of it?"

The rumble of thunder above the boy answered him.

"Come on, you know why, baka," he put words to the reverberating sound, "Akane wouldn't be Akane..." the pain from his ankle hit a new level, "got to find a place to rest."

Saotome Ranma sat on an ashcan next to the dumpster, above him he saw the majestic building of Sunshine City. The lessening of the pain caused him to sigh, "Kami-sama... why did I come here..." he shook his head, "Ile...I know why..." a shallow grin on his face, "son like father."

Ranma's chin pressed into his collarbone, looking like he was asleep, but he wasn't. In his mind he heard the voices of his parents, the words of the many members of the Tendo family:

"Oh, Ranma... how?"

"I am ashamed of you, Boy!"

"How could this happen to my little girl?"

Ranma couldn't remember how he ended up on the local train to Ikebukuro from Nerima, he could only remember a deep feeling of anguish, so great his consciousness was rendered blank of thought. One moment he was kneeling by the body of Akane, where he had laid her at Soun's feet, the next he was leaning against a steel pole inside a passenger car, his ankle throbbing worse than before.

"Oyaji is right... I have no honor."

"Would it have been better had you split your belly before her father da?"

Ranma jerked his head up, his dark eyes catching the glare of the sheet lightning licking the clouds, "Nani..." his growl sounding more ominous with the thunder. The teenager smirked at the sight of a man with long white beard, his hair the color of snow-capped Mount Fuji, his face as craggy granite and his body hidden under old clothes, a heavily patched leather jacket, dark blue pants and worn boots, "You look like shit, ojiisan."

"Na-na...is that anyway to address your elders," the old man stroked his beard, "especially one like myself, offering to help you da?"

"Oi...like I haven't heard that befo..." Ranma hissed sharply as he try to adjust his bottom on top of the ashcan, for a second he had put weight on his throbbing ankle, "I've lost count of old farts offering magic junk too good to be true."

"Indeed... did they offer you something like this da?" He held out his winkled right hand, uncurling his rooted fingers, revealing two rings of plain gold.

"What's this," Ranma's distain darkened his face, "some ring of Yaki Fu zo?"

The sound of dry leaves crackled in the old man's chuckle, "No, I don't blame your doubts from what I have heard of your misadventures...but you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth da."

"Ojiisan...I'm getting tired of your dog and pony show," from the corner of one eye, Ranma saw wet blotches appear in the dirt, "get on with it."

"Your true love died," Ranma's face paled at the old man's statement, "but these two rings can give back her life da."

The movement of Ranma's hand matched the flash of lightning from above, but old man's fingers where just as fast. Thunder shook everything in the ally, causing the teenager to wait until silence returned, "Hand them over, old fart."

"There is a price in using them," those old green eyes looked through shaggy eyebrows, "one only you can pay da."

"What price?"

"The price of half a life da."

"Nani," Confusion held Ranma for a moment before he relaxed. No, half a life didn't mean a loss of half of his lifespan. Anyone could pay that sort of price. The only kind of price only he could pay was, "You're talking about my curse, the Jusenkyou curse."

"Hai," the old man nodded, "you and a few others can pay this sort of price," he opened his fist, "but the pieces of silver are not the counterfeit da."

Ranma shivered at what the old man meant, but not because of shock, because of his male instinct, "Give them here," he held out his trembling hand, "I'll worry later about what I'm losing."

As Ranma felt the cold metal of the bands rest on his palm, the falling rain started to melt his maleness from his body, the battle torn clothes fitting differently to her changing body, getting especially tight over her chest, "Chikusho...I was hoping to stay male a little longer." The redhead looked up only to find the figure of the old man vanishing behind the sheets of falling rain, "Figures the old coot would make a quick exit."

Ranma shrugged, slipping off the ashcan, letting out a gasp, "Kuso..." the redhead grabbed onto the edge of the dumpster, "I was hoping weighing less would help. Hopping on one leg, the petite girl looked about and finally found a discarded piece of tubing, "This is going have'ta do."

One thing being female and a martial artist, Ranma was able to hobble at a good pace, "Got to get back to the train station," she scanned the exit of the ally way, "I hope I can fight my way through the crowd in the station, it's a killer."

"RANMA!"

Without realizing it, Ranma slipped into a defensive stance, her right foot barely touching the ground, attempting to hide her injury, while holding the makeshift walking stick with both hands, "Ryoga, I don't have time for...why are you grinning na?"

"Ranma!" the redhead froze as Ryoga hugged her. Several thoughts run through her pretty head. Was this a new martial arts attack? Was Ryoga trying to get an advantage of her? Was Ryoga trying to cope a feel?

No.

The joy in Ryoga's embrace wasn't faked, Ranma sensed this from her old martial arts rival, his one strong arm holding the redhead tight while the other arm held the bamboo combat umbrella above them both, his cheek press to her cheek. Like everything the lost boy does, the hugging was taking a little too long. Finally Ranma decided, "Ryoga, if you keep hugging me like this, I'm going have'ta hurt you."

"Oi!" Ryoga immediately released Ranma, "Gomen nasei," his cheeks blushing, "I didn't mean anything by it! I'm just so happy since moving in with Akari and her dad and getting a new job," he motioned toward the cab parked next to the ally entrance.

"You drive a taxi yo?" Ranma lifted his right foot off the ground once more, using the steel pole to help.

"Hai! Isn't she a sweet ride?" Ryoga beamed, but then he noticed Ranma's posture, "What's wrong, Ranma?"

"Mousse," Ryoga frowned at the mentioned of the avian martial artist, "but that isn't here or there," she waved off Ryoga protest, "I'd your help, Ryoga," her fist clinched the gold rings within, "I got'ta get back to the Tendo home, Akane is in bad shape."

Ryoga compassion for Akane showed in his eyes, "What happened? Did Mousse hurt Akane?"

"Indirectly," Ranma replied, "but I got something that could save Akane and I need to get it to her as fast... Nani!" Ryoga swept Ranma up by one arm and ran to the cab, "Ryoga, I can walk on my..."

"Stuff it, Ranma, you're hurt," Ryoga deposited the redhead at the right passenger door, "and Akane needs you." Ranma's mouth dropped open. He knew Ryoga was in love with Akari, yet he didn't expect the pig boy to acknowledge the love between Akane and Ranma. So amazed was Ranma that his ass is swatted by the passenger door when it pop open, "Get inside!" Ryoga looked over his shoulder from the diver seat, tossing a large white towel to Ranma, "Use this to keep the seat dry."

Once Ranma got into the taxi, the door automatically closed, the redhead look over the front seat, watching Ryoga fumbling with the GPS system, "Etto...Nerima is six-four-seven-seven...Tendo home is five-four."

"Is that how you get around zo?" Ranma is amazed as the route lit up on the green-tinted screen.

Ryoga grinned, "Hai, Akari's uncle owns a taxi company and since I'm not much a pig breeder, her father decided to get me this job." Ryoga looked through the mirrors to make sure he had the room, "At first I was scare, you know me and appalling sense of direction," his joy never left his face, "but once I got use to the GPS system and some practice sessions with Akari, I really love it."

Ranma relaxed a little in the back of the taxi, placing her right leg up on the seat so his aching ankle could rest better, "You only need to take me as far as the train station."

"Forget that idea, Ranma, your ankle is as round as a pink melon," Ryoga tossed the first aid kit over his shoulder, watching through the rearview mirror as Ranma caught it, "I'm taking you all the way to the Tendo's home, my treat."

Ranma blinked, not use to this side of Ryoga, opening the white box and getting out the elastic bandage, "Domo arigato..."

After Ryoga got out of Ikebukuro and onto the main road to Nerima, he glanced over his shoulder at Ranma, "How did Akane get hurt?"

"Mousse sent me a challenge, I told him I don't do challenges anymore," Ranma carefully wrapped her ankle, "I told him it wasn't my fault he couldn't earn Xian Pu's love," he grumbled, "but instead of leaving me alone, he sent me another challenge, saying he had kidnapped Akane and would turn her into a cat if I didn't come."

"You went?"

"Hai, Mousse's challenge was to fight him at an abandoned school," Ranma relaxed once more, closing the first aid kit, "which he turned into a maze of death. It was only then I discovered Mousse hadn't grabbed Akane."

"How did Akane end up there?"

"I don't know..." Ranma paused for a second, "I think she found the first challenge...I tossed it in the wastebasket..." Ranma felt a lump of ice form in her gut, "I...I don't know when she got there," her blue eyes look down at the floorboard, tears threatening to spill from them, "I only found her afterwards...amongst the wreckage after Mousse blew up the furnace in the basement."

"Ya da boku!" Ryoga exclaimed, the green taxi jerked to the left when Ryoga overcorrected, "What happened to the dickhead?"

"Don't know, don't care anymore," Ranma answered, tearful eyes as hard as blue sapphires, "Mousse can be the main dish at the Nekohanten for all I care." Ranma sniffled a little, looking out of the rear window, "I...I don't remember much after finding Akane..." she swallowed, "carried her home, gave her to Soun...then I blanked out... the next thing I know I was on the local train to Ikebukuro."

For a while Ryoga said nothing, neither did Ranma, the only sounds within the taxi was from the speaker for the cabbie's short-band radio and the flapping of the windshield wipers. Ranma kept glancing at the GPS screen, noticing Ryoga was sticking to the route without error. As they enter the street leading to the front gate of the Tendo residence, Ryoga asked, "When are you going to marry Akane na?"

Ranma blinked, awaken from her thoughts, feeling the metal bands inside her fist, pulling her in a new direction, "Marriage...ee...sounds like the right thing to do."

The lights of the taxi caught the dojo sign hanging from the wall of the Tendo compound, dusk having come and gone during their journey. From the rearview mirror Ryoga could see Ranma's baby blues sharpen with resolve, "Ranma, would you like me to come with you na?"

"Iie," Ranma straighten in the seat as the taxi stopped, "I already took enough of your time," she smiles at her old friend, "I hope I didn't get you in trouble with Akari and her uncle."

For a moment a different expression showed on Ryoga's face, his eyes taking in Ranma not as a guy who can change into a gal, "Akari will understand and her uncle will take the cab fare out of my wages."

Ranma was a little confused by Ryoga's expression, but her purpose came back to mind, nodding to her old friend while the taxi door opened, "Domo arigato, Ryoga," she used her makeshift cane to help her to stand, "I owe you."

"Iie, I owed you and Akane for helping me with Akari," Ryoga grinned, "so the debt between friends paid."

Ranma looked at Ryoga for a moment before turning away, "Ja ne," she said her farewell, hobbling to the gate while the green taxi pulled away.

In the rearview mirror Ryoga watched Ranma slip inside the compound, "Break a leg...Ranma."

Location: Tendo Residence, Nerima, Tokyo

The windows of the main house were dark, the only light Ranma saw coming from the dojo. Thanks to his hurt ankle, the redhead hobbling made a thump-thump on the wood planks of the covered veranda connecting the dojo to the main house. Ranma shivered in her damp clothes, the rain had stopped but the night air of spring cut into her petite body. Ranma paused at the door, attempting to gather her courage, but as she reached for the door, it slid open.

"Ranma-chan," Kasumi's face was tearstained, her voice husky, "I'm glad you are home ne."

"Domo arigato, Kasumi-chan," Ranma eyes saw the pain in the oldest daughter's gaze, "Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to run out like I did."

Kasumi reached out with her right hand, holding one of Ranma's hands, squeezing it, "It's okay, I'm sure you were deep in shock and didn't know what you were doing."

"Ee," Ranma looked around the taller teenager, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of Akane laying in front of the family shrine in the dojo, wearing her best dress and her face covered by a veil. The martial artist had worried the whole trip back, she worried the Tendo would have Akane's body taken to the mortuary. Once more she was glad the Tendo were so traditional, displaying the body for the family to grieve.

"Iie, Ranma-chan, the priest hasn't arrived," Kasumi thinking Ranma was looking for the Buddhist priest.

The ball of ice returned to Ranma's gut when he saw the scowl coming from Genma and the look of betrayal from Soun. The look of disgust from Nabiki was just as strong, but more so the sorrowful expression from Nodoka hit Ranma harder, the teenager didn't miss the wrapped katana on the ground next to his mother.

"I see you remembered your honor, boy," Genma rumbled, kneeing on the floor next to Nodoka. He was about to add more, when the hand of his wife on his left elbow stopped him. More tears came from Soun at the sight of Ranma, while Nabiki gave her father a large green handkerchief to use.

Ranma cleaned his mind of all the emotions directed at her, politely moving around Kasumi, only to be stopped by the motherly sister, "Let me help you, Ranma-chan." Taking the makeshift cane from Ranma and leaning it against the wall, Kasumi pulled the younger teenager to her, supporting Ranma.

Ranma smiled at Kasumi, "Domo arigato, Kasumi-chan." With her help, Ranma gingerly hobbled toward where Akane lay at rest. Kasumi helped Ranma to kneel by the body on the low table, a white pillow Akane's head rested on. Then Kasumi walked over and knelt next to Nabiki, giving her sister a reproving look. Nabiki rolled her eyes, but the angry look she had been giving the redhead since her return, lessen.

Ranma opened her hand, the two rings sticking to her palm since she kept her fist closed since getting them. Her ears picked up a couple of puzzled sounds from the others, the redhead having to steel herself to keep from looking over her shoulders. Ranma had to concentrate on what she is about to do.

A buzz of sensation ran up Ranma's spine when she slip on the ring, she could feel the golden band's power, the petite teenager could feel its magic merging with her cursed form, feeling pressure building up. It wasn't a painful feeling, in fact it had a pleasant quality to it, causing Ranma to shiver, feeling certain parts of her body reacting strangely to the new magic.

Yet...

Ranma could feel her emotions cutting loose inside of her, a hot flush roaming the breath and length of her body, causing her to gasp, grab the edge of the table, feeling her nipples burn with irritation against the course fabric of her clinging Chinese shirt, feeling sensuality bloom from between her thighs. Even more so, Ranma could feel something was happening with her mind. The way her nose work, along with her other senses, something was different about them. It scared Ranma, despite all the magic she experienced in all of her adventures, she had always knew she was Saotome Ranma, man amongst men, her inner self rock solid male to the core.

The pressure continued to build inside of Ranma, feeling the trigger held by a hair. Ranma was on the edge of a panic, to rip the ring from her finger and throw it as far a possible. Then her wide baby blues fell upon the veiled face of Akane. For a moment she couldn't think, her brain caught between two extremes. Then something kicked loose inside, the panic fading, Ranma remembering why she came back. More now than before, she understood what the old man told her, the price she would be paying to save Akane.

"The price of half a life."

Ranma was a little surprised Akane's hand was warm when she took hold of it, but her determination kept her from thinking about it. With her right hand she held the other gold ring. The redhead let her mind travel back to when she, Akane and their comrades fought Herb, when she thought Akane had died. Ranma used the memory of that grief to help keep his focus, what she didn't expect was the outpouring of mourning, a gush of raw emotion much stronger than before, feeling it filling her mind, her soul, taking control of her body, causing her to shake as sobs bark from her mouth, tears flying from her baby blues to dot the smooth floor. It took all of Ranma's willpower, "Akane...I love you so much...with all of my heart...my soul..." her voice choked with pain, "I'm so alone without you..." she slipped the ring onto Akane's ring finger, "come back...please...to be with me...forever...as husband and wife."

There was no outward sign of change, no Hollywood special effects or Japanese CGI, instead a strangled sound came from Ranma, her back arching as the pressure within her was suddenly released, her brain flash-fried by multiple sensations, sucking her conscious thought an eye of a needle, leaving the redhead swaying on her knees. In such a state, the petite teenager dizzily watched as Akane sat up on the low table, the veil sliding off her face, her dark eyes blinking like those of an owl.

There were cries of surprise and awe from the former grievers, but neither Akane nor Ranma heard them. A vague look showed in Ranma's face, as if he was watching a dream, her fondest wish made flesh. The blissful state ended when Akane slap Ranma's face.

The sound of the blow echoed in the dojo, Ranma's touching her stinging left cheek, her expression going from joy to surprise to anger, "Why did you slap me?"

"BAKA!" Akane snapped back, "I tried for hours to get you to notice I wasn't dead while you carried me," her fists clinched, "but did you notice? No! You didn't check my pulse, you didn't check my heart, all you did was treat me like a slab of meat!" Then her rage turned on her family, "And did any of you check? No! You don't know how embarrassing it was to have my clothes stripped off, my body washed and then dressed like I was some life-size doll!"

Ranma looked at Akane as she got on a roll, the transformation of the moment from tragedy to exhilaration, caused another emotion to bloom inside the redhead, causing her to grin wider and wider. Akane spotted the grin, "What's with the shit-eating gr..." the tomboy's question stopped short as Ranma yanked Akane into a tight hug. Akane is caught off-guard so doesn't try to break the hold, "Ranma?"

"Akane...okaeri..." Ranma's nose softly nuzzled Akane's neck, hesitantly the youngest Tendo daughter hugged the redhead back "I missed you."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Of Cabbages and Kings

Location: Tendo Residence, Nerima, Tokyo

The first reaction for Doctor Tofu was to do something off-the-wall, the sight of Kasumi's worried expression threatening to fog up his glasses. It took supreme effort for the young physician to take off his glasses, pretending to clean them, the slightly unfocused image of Kasumi helping him to control his emotions.

"How are they Doctor Tofu?" Soun asked, once more the Tendo patrician.

"Akane has a severe concussion," Doctor Tofu's tone a little edgy but professional, "most likely caused by the explosion of the school furnace Ranma told us about. The concussion put Akane in a catatonic state, where she could hear, feel and smell everything going on around her, but wasn't able to physically respond to it."

"So when Ranma put the ring on Akane's finger," Nabiki rub her chin thoughtfully, "it snapped my little sis out of it?"

"Correct," Doctor Tofu nodded, "although Akane did describe the sensation feeling like a bee sting."

"That's my Akane," Nabiki grinned, "what's her first impulse? It's to swat the bee."

Kasumi smiled softly at her sister's jest, asking the doctor, "How long will Akane's concussion last?"

"Akane will need to stay in bed for a least a week," holding his glasses in one hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, "and this is a prescription for her. I already gave her some medication so she will sleep until late in the morning. Sleep and staying calm is the best medicine for Akane to recover."

"And Ranma?" Nodoka asked, "How is he?"

An amused look showed on Doctor Tofu's lips, "It is hard to say, if I stick to her physical health, Ranma has a very bad sprang ankle, made worse by her walking on it for several hours. Now if I was to venture into her psychological condition, Ranma is the happiest person in the universe."

"I would think so," Nabiki crossed her arms, "one doesn't get a chance to confess his love twice over his beloved's corpse in the same year."

"Nabiki," Kasumi admonished her sister. The oldest sister turned back to Doctor Tofu "How serious is Ranma's injury."

"Ranma will need to stay off his right ankle for two weeks," Doctor Tofu looked at Genma, "which means no martial arts training and no challenges, Genma-san." His gaze moved to Nodoka, "I will be back at noontime with a soft case and crutches for Ranma."

"Domo arigato, Tofu-sensei," Nodoka bowed to the young doctor, Genma following his wife's lead. Then the middle-aged woman focused on Nabiki, "Nabiki-chan, since the spring semester starts tomorrow, could you please pick up the class outlines for Akane and Ranma ka?"

Just then the door behind Doctor Tofu slid open, revealing Ranma balancing on one foot, wearing a pale blue yakata. At the sight of Doctor Tofu, the redhead frowned a little, before shifting her gaze to her mother, "Okasan, could you bring my futon and bedding up to Akane's bedroom for me? Tofu-sensei threatened to drug me into a stupor if I even try to use my right foot," the group blinked and looked at Doctor Tofu, who only shrugged.

"Ara...do you think it is wise for you to stay in my daughter's room ze?," Soun puzzled.

"I don't see why not," Ranma looked up at the tall man, "since Akane and I are married na."

"NANI?"

More than one jaw hit the floor at Ranma's statement, although Doctor Tofu didn't seem surprised. "I better not hear any objections from ya peanut gallery," Ranma scanned the faces of his in-laws and family, "I gave Akane the ring and called her my wife. That's all I need to do under bushi traditions."

"Akane didn't object being called wife," Nabiki the first to recover from the surprised announcement, her smirk back in place, "Congrets."

"I'm so proud of you, Ranma," Nodoka took hold of her offspring's hands, squeezing them, "I was a little worried," her expression joyful, "what with all the chaos in your life."

Ranma blushed, her tiny, unsure smile showing, "Okasan."

"Since you are now a husband, boy," somewhere Genma got hold of a brass kettle, "at least look like one!" he poured a kettle of hot water on Ranma's head.

"Oyaji!" Ranma glared at her father, her expression didn't match the shocked looks from the others, since hot water equaled gender change for Ranma. Instead the water soaked into her still red hair.

"Oya maa..." Kasumi touched her chin, watching the shocked Genma continue to pour steamy water upon Ranma, the liquid starting to soak into the yakata.

"Are you finished, Oyaji na?" Ranma twitched with suppressed anger.

"What happened, Ranma?" Nodoka was just as surprised as the others, Genma still frozen but the kettle ran out of water.

"Okasan," Ranma sighed, "I got tired of everyone running my life," her baby blues soft, "so while I was coming back from Ikebukuro in Ryoga's cab, I thought a lot and made some decisions."

"Decisions?" Nabiki's brown eyes glow with interest.

Ranma glanced at the middle Tendo sister before returning to her mother, "Ee..." then she yawned softly, "but can we talked about it later."

"Boy! You are going to tell me..." Genma came back to the land of the living.

"Genma..." Nodoka interrupted her husband, looking at him with a gentle expression, but her eyes were hard, "we can wait until the morning," her gaze shifting back to her offspring, "I'm sure it is good news ne." The older woman let go of Ranma's hands, turning away and going to Kasumi, "Kasumi-chan, can you help me with the futon and bedding ka?"

"Of course," Kasumi smiled and followed Nodaka. Genma stared at his wife, then looked at Ranma, who stared harshly at his father. For a moment Genma found those blue eyes like those of his wife. Letting out a sigh, the older martial artist turned and followed his wife.

Nabiki grinned at the little drama before her, "Tomorrow morning is going to be very interesting." She poked Soun's shoulder, "Otousan," the elder Tendo was white in shock, "don't be such a wimp."

"Ano..." Soun came out of his trance, looking about, "Where did everyone go ka?"

Nabiki grabbed her father's shirt by one arm, "Come, Otousan, you're find out in the morning."

"Ara..." Soun stumbled a little as he let Nabiki pull him away, looking back at Ranma and Doctor Tofu, "Ja ne."

Ranma watched them go, then looked at Doctor Tofu, "You weren't surprised, Toku-sensei."

"I saw the rings," Tofu helped Ranma back inside Akane's bedroom, moving the hopping girl to a chair, "also your body is different."

"Different?" The chair creaked due to Ranma sitting down heavier than she meant to, "How?"

"The others would have noticed but they have been under a great deal of stress due to Akane's death, her funeral, your reappearance and Akane's resurrection," the young doctor checked Akane, the girl deep in sleep under the blankets, upon her bed, "I also have been your doctor for the pass year and like all my patients, I've kept a detail record on you."

"And?" Ranma sounded impatient.

"Before your female body was that of the girl who drowned in Jenkeyo, correct?" Ranma nodded. "Well, your female body is different now. Your body is taller, closer to your mother's height, and your hair is a darker red. The dimensions of your body are the same but have adjusted to your new height," Doctor Tofu smiled, "including larger breasts."

Ranma blinked, immediately cupping his own breasts, hefting them a little, giving each a slight squeeze, "Unbelievable." The redhead looked up at Doctor Toku, "So the curse has changed?"

Doctor Tofu held a temperature reader to Akane's forehead, "Hai...whatever you did, the curse has been modified," he glanced at Ranma, "and I have a hunch you know in what way."

Ranma nodded, at the same time the bedroom door slide open and Nodoka and Kasumi entered, carrying the futon and bedding for Ranma. The youngest teenager smiled, while Doctor Toku took off his glasses, "Domo arigato, Okasan, Kasumi-chan."

"How is Akane?" Kasumi helped Nodoka spread out the futon and spread the bedcovers over it.

"Sound asleep," Doctor Tofu kept a tight rein on his emotions, "a light fever but resting good."

"Ranma-chan," Ranma's eyes widen a bit at the feminine honorific from her mother, "here are a pair of my pajamas," Nodoka passed the silk garments to her offspring.

"Arigato, Okasan," Ranma accepted them, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to put you through all this."

Nodoka smiled a little wider, "You have no reason to apologize, Ranma-chan," she kissed her daughter's left cheek, "as I have told you before, you are a man amongst men, just as you are a man amongst women," she looked deeply into those blue eyes, "it matters not which body you are within, your soul is full of honor and dignity. You have taught me that much."

Ranma looked down, her cheeks blushing at getting such a compliment from her mother, "Honto ne?"

Nodaka nodded, with Kasumi coming to stand with the older woman, "You have taught each of us, Ranma-chan," the oldest Tendo daughter said, "you have taught me determination is important."

Ranma blushed more, looking downward for a moment before rising her head, "Yare-yare," her expression cute, "I'm nothing special, just someone who wants a home and a family."

"And you shall have it," Nodoka gently hugged Ranma's head, ruffling those dark red locks, "so I swear by our bushi heritage."

"Okasan..." Ranma felt her heart flutter, ten years it had been since leaving her mother, ten long years of training and lack of motherly love.

Nodoka let go of Ranma, moved over to Akane and kissed the sleeping girl on the forehead, "Sleep well, Akane-chan," Akane's eyelids flutter for a moment, her lips moving for a couple of seconds before she was once more in the realm of dreams. "Ja ne, Ranma-chan, sleep well."

"Ja ne, Ranma-chan," Kasumi added as she followed Nodoka out the door, with Doctor Tofu with them, the young physician waving to the redhead before the door slid closed.

Ranma's eyes snap open at the sound of tapping in the direction of the bedroom door. Resting on her back, the redhead pushed the covers down to sit up, looking over at Akane first. The slow rise and drop of the dark-haired girl's chest under the bedcovers, the calm look on her face, told Ranma that Akane was still deep in drugged slumber. Another tap from the door, got Ranma on one foot, hopping over and slid it open, finding Doctor Tofu there. He smiled, "I have the crutches and the soft case."

Ranma nodded and made her way to the chair, while the good doctor carried in the items and closed the door. After a check of Akane's vitals, Doctor Tofu put the soft case on Ranma's right leg and inflated it, the blue plastic item covered her heel, ankle and up to the middle of her calve, "How does it feel, Ranma-chan?"

"Good. My ankle feels better," Ranma looked out the window, noticing the thin dawn light peeking over the outer wall, "You're here early, Tofu-sensei."

Doctor Tofu's expression took on a mysterious look, "I know you are a early riser, Ranma-chan, and I wanted to make sure you didn't ignore my orders about limited exercises and no matches." Ranma thought different, believing the young man was using the visit to see Kasumi when most of the household was still in bed, "I know you will still do your workout despite my caution," the good doctor motioned at the crutches, "but at least your right ankle well be protected."

Ranma grinned, nodded, "Arigato, Tofu-sensei," getting up and using the crutches, the thirty-something man adjusting them to fit the redhead's size. The female teenager moved about the room, getting use to the weight of the case and how to correctly use the crutches, while the Doctor Tofu watched. Satisfied, Ranma looked at tall physician, "Last night, you said my body is different, taller, darker hair, more feminine?"

"Correct, Ranma-chan," Doctor Tofu sat next to Akane with two fingers pressing to her neck, looking at his watch, "I checked my records before going to bed. From all the physicals I did on you, except for increase in your bust size, your female body didn't change, bone density, muscle tone, none of those changed, but they did change for your male body."

Ranma soaked in this information, standing with the crutches under each armpit, "That would mean...my female body wasn't aging na?

Doctor Tofu nodded, putting Akane's arm back under the covers, "Conceivably your female body is immortal and would only die when your male body did," he stood up, "now with the change to the curse, your female body isn't a copy of the drowned girl's body."

Ranma shivered with dread at the idea of being stuck as a teenage girl, "Kami-sama, fate worse than death." She thought for a moment, "Tofu-sensei, hot water doesn't change me back to male," the young man nodded, "what if I never be a guy ever again na?"

Doctor Tofu looked owlishly at Ranma, seeming to study the girl for a moment before asking, "This was one of the decisions you mentioned last night?" The redhead nodded, "You found a way to end the curse or it found you?" Another nod, "And you choose to be female instead of male for a reason?" A third nod, "A very good reason?"

Ranma glanced at Akane, the motion seen by Doctor Tofu, "The best reason in the whole wide world ze."

Before any more could be ask by either Ranma or Doctor Tofu, a soft cough came from Akane, her eyes barely open, "Ranma...Tofu-sensei...thirsty..." she licked her dry lips.

"I'll get you some tea," the young doctor slipped out of the bedroom, while Ranma sat down next to Akane.

A few minutes passed, before Akane said, "I heard a little...what you said to Tofu-sensei...gomen nasei."

"It's my decision, Akane," Ranma smiled softly at sleepy girl, "it was sort'a easy once I made it."

"I'll...I'll find a way..." Akane blinked slowly, "get your real body back."

Ranma glanced at the ring on her finger, "I don't want it anymore," her voice soft, "this is my real body...not the drowned girl's body."

Akane's energy seemed to drain out of her, her eyes closing and it look like she was asleep once more, "So you are female...forever ka?"

"Hai..." Ranma smiled, "Still love me ne?"

"With all...my heart..." a tiny smile appeared on Akane's face.

Then Doctor Tofu came in, looking a little shell-shocked, the source coming with him, Kasumi with a teakettle and cups on a tray, "Morning tea is perfect for sharing," Kasumi sounding cheerful.

Ranma grinned, moving to sit next to Akane on her bed. Once the tea was brought to her, Ranma blew softly on the tea before she carefully held Akane's head and helped her to sip the tea, along with a pill. Once done, Akane's head was back on the pillow, "Oneechan...her tea tastes so good..." in seconds Akane was sound asleep.

As quiet as possible Ranma, Doctor Tofu and Kasumi slipped out of Akane's bedroom. The threesome worked their way down the stairs to the living room, where Ranma began to do some stretching exercises while Kasumi escorted the doctor to the front gate, the young man saying he would be back after his daily appointments were finished. Coming back in, Kasumi giggled softly when she saw Ranma doing push-ups upside-down, using the wall for support as she slowly lowers and straightens her arms. Ranma must have heard Kasumi, "Tofu-sensei is right...this body is different...from the cursed body...taller...stronger...better toned...heavier ne."

Kasumi's expression became amused at the way Ranma was doing the exercise, facing away from the wall, while the pajama top slipped down his young body, exposing her tight stomach and her chest, including her very ample breasts, "Could you do a different exercise, Ranma-chan? Otousan will be getting up soon."

"Nani?" Ranma paused, noticing what the pajama top was doing, "Soun-san has seen my tits before?"

"Honto ne," Kasumi nodded, "but that was when you were a cursed boy," her expression gentle, "but now you are a cured girl."

Ranma thought for a moment, before she nodded and slowly twisted her body until she could stand up on one leg, get the crutches and make her way to Kasumi, "I see wha'cha mean, Kasumi-chan," her baby blues showing determination, "but I'm not giving up my martial arts."

"I know, your martial arts is as much you," Kasumi gently smooth out the pajama top against Ranma's curvy body, "as my cooking is me."

"Maa...you're more a cook and a housekeeper, Kasumi-chan," Ranma stood before the oldest Tendo daughter, "mostly I think of you as my big sister."

"And I think of you as my little sister, Ranma-chan," Ranma blushed at Kasumi's words, giggling softly, "although now I'm going to need to think of you as my...ano...sister-in-law?"

Ranma giggled a little more, "Hai..." then her expression became serious, "does it bother you? Your sister married to another girl?"

"Iie, I know you two love each other," Kasumi shook her head, "more than skin deep."

Ranma sighed with relief, "Good, I hope our parents will understand it na."

"You got my support, Ranma...-chan," Ranma and Kasumi look at the staircase to see the grinning Nabiki.

Ranma frowned at the middle Tendo daughter, the redhead reaching into her pocket, pulling out the electronic bug, "I figured you heard everything I said to Doctor Tofu and Akane."

"Ne-ne let's just say I have some bad habits...fetishes really," Nabiki smirked, holding her hand out to Ranma, "one of them is information."

Ranma gave the bug back to its owner, "And the other is money?"

Nabiki shrugged, "Someone has to keep the family out of the red, which has become harder since you and your father moved in."

Ranma's irritation at Nabiki snuffed out, "Gomen," she looked at Kasumi, "Honto na."

"It's okay, Ranma-chan," Kasumi assured Ranma, "you and your father were our guests. It was up to our father to decide and I was happy by how much our father's spirit were lifted by having his old friend here."

"Hai, but I can still remember times when your home got trashed by someone who had a beef with my old man or the freak would come for a stay," Ranma sounded angry, mostly with herself, "and sometimes we only had rice and pickles to eat."

"Yare-yare, a rice and pickles diet only sharpened my business acumen," Nabiki grinned.

"Yo...I noticed your more risky money scams occur about the same time," Ranma smirked.

"Which allowed bills were paid," Kasumi added, her petite smile showing while she filled the rice cooker, "the dojo was repaired and the pantry filled."

"You made that much money of'a them?" Ranma was surprised, "I thought maybe a few thousand yen, enough to pay for your shopping sprees."

"Seed money," Nabiki clarified, "I used it and the Tendo family name to float some short-term loans, using them to invest in some business ventures."

"And they paid off?" Ranma looked carefully at the middle Tendo sister, "sounds lucky ne."

"It's an ying-yang sort of thing," Nibiki winked, "plus I do in-depth research into any venture, weighing all the pros and cons, which usually means I will get at least a partial return on the investments."

"How many ventures you got going?" Ranma was curious.

"Eleven," the middle sister glanced at the oldest sister, "enough to pay off the loans, money for the essentials and some pocket change for the family."

Ranma noticed the glance between the sisters, the redhead figured she was getting the edited version about those loans, "Ano...since Soun has made it clear the dojo is Akane's dowry," her baby blues watching the two sisters closely, "I'm thinking of getting this family on a better footing."

"Part of the thinking you did in the taxi ride ne?" Nabiki asked.

"Hai," Ranma wasn't surprised by Nabiki's skeptical tone or Kasumi's pleasant look becoming strained. "I'm not like our fathers," the youngest teenager using a respectful tone, "I'm goin'ta need a lot of help and advice from you both, Nabiki with her smarts and you, Kasumi, with your organizing skills."

Nabiki's eyes lit up, looking at Kasumi, who's expression showed approval, but before they could say anything, they heard a sound behind them, seeing Nodoka coming from the guest room, the dark green silk of an elegant kimono flowing over her body and a pink obi tied around her waist. In her left hand the mother held a bamboo fan, the early morning light caught by the mother-of-pearl wrought handle, "Ohayo, mina-san," she glide over the floor to the threesome, gently hugging Ranma, kissing her offspring on one cheek, "How is Akane doing ka?"

Because of the separation from Nodoka, Ranma enjoyed her mother's greeting, leaving the teenager yearning for more, "Ohayo, Okasan," her happiness glowed on her face.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you came from your wedding bed after a night of shell-fishing," Nodoka's expression teasing.

"Okaasan!" Ranma's cheeks blazing while Nabiki and Kasumi giggled, blushing too.

"Now I have everyone's attention," Nodoka opened her fan, "let's have some tea at the kitchen table and plot a little treason."

"Treason?" Nabiki grinned, as she falls in step with the oldest female "That sounds intriguing."

"What do you mean, Okasan?" Ranma was troubled by her mother's words. The redhead followed the others to the kitchen table.

"I think your mother is speaking of your future, Ranma-chan," Kasumi answered for Nodoka. The twenty-year-old went to the stove and came back with a fresh pot of tea and more cups, "Sadly as we have all seen over the past year, we cannot leave it to our fathers guide our household. Only havoc will come of it."

"Maa...I feel sort'a bad about this," Ranma sat at the kitchen table, "making plans without Akane."

"Don't worry," Nodoka carefully folded the kimono under herself before sitting down, "we are only here to discuss things. Akane's input will be sought when she has recovered."

Ranma sighed with relief, looking at her mother, "I'm glad to hear that. I'm tired of Oyaji always plotting, getting me into sh..." a frowned appeared on Noddoka's face, "stuff and me ending up with my butt in a sling da."

Dressed in her green tanktop and white cutoffs, Nabiki sat on the other side of Ranma, "No lie," she folded her hands under her chin, "at least my schemes work."

"Honto ne?" Ranma grinned, "I remember your Be-Ranma's-inazuke scheme. That didn't work out the way you thought it would."

Nabiki's smile turned dopey, "Anyone can have an off day ne."

Ranma giggled, accepting a cup of tea from Kasumi, "So what should we discuss?"

"You mentioned you made some decisions while returning, Ranmaz-chan?" Nodoka accepted a small cup of tea, adding a spoonful of honey to her own.

Ranma nodded, looking at Kasumi and then Nabiki, "I decided to revive the fortunes of the Anything-Goes dojo," she took a sip from her steamy cup.

"That will take a good piece of change," Nabiki squeezed half-a-lemon into her cup, "advertising, entering tournaments and recruiting students to teach."

Kasumi joined them at the table, "We can start small. Soun and Genma are experienced sensei of the art, Ranma qualifies as a sensei due to her wide experience and even Akane can teach the basics of Anything-Goes martial arts," she poured a cup of tea for herself, "but I'm concern over our personal problems," she took a sip of her tea, "Genma's stubbornness over Ranma acceptance of her femininity and Otousan's grief over the death of our mother."

"You mean teaching Akane," Nabiki swirled the tea in her cup, "I haven't taken a lesson since our mother's death," her dark eyes glance at Kasumi, "and you haven't either, Oneechan, since you have taken upon your shoulders everything our mother did."

Kasumi smiled a little at Nabiki, "I don't consider it a burden, Nabiki," her expression honest, "taking care of the household, helping each member of my family to find their destiny. Each time I see my loved ones achieve their goals, I am filled with happiness."

"I remember a certain a little girl," Nokoda spoke, "who would ask a lot questions about herbal medicine and how bones and muscles fitted together," her smile wise, "so although you accepted the role of housekeeper, from those medical books you borrow from Doctor Tofu, I know your dream is still inside you."

"Sounds like the dream-weaver should follow her own dream," Nabiki smiled over her cup, "especially with a doctor as the pot of gold at the end ne."

Kasumi looked into her cup of tea, blushing, knowing full well what Nabiki was hinting at, "How can I? I have my duty to our family to take care of."

"A duty you can share with others, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka pointed out. The oldest female shifted her gaze from Kasumi to Ranma, "Ranma-chan, I understand Soun made the dojo part of Akane's dowry. Did my husband add anything himself?"

"Besides my dick? No," Ranma's voice sounding bitter, "part of my joy of choosing to be female, my father can't sell my cum anymore."

Nodoka coughed a little into her hand, "I understand your feelings, Ranma-chan, but it is the way of our traditions. Only the very poor married because of love," the eldest woman rub the edge of her cup, "only in the generations of the last fifty years has love become the prime reason of marriage."

"Was your marriage one of love, Okasan?" Ranma asked, holding her cup out to Kasumi to refill.

"Iie, it was an arranged marriage between our parents," Nodoka replied, "with your father's family of the bushi class just as was my own. Also his ability as a martial artist impressed my parents," she smiled a little, "as well as myself."

"You accepted the arranged marriage because you were attracted to him?" Ranma asked, while take a sip of his refreshed tea.

"Hai..." Nodoka blushed a little, "I found him...manly," she cleared her throat, "also several of my friends decided on arranged marriages as well," her gaze moved to Kasumi and Nabiki, "including your parents."

"Hai," Kasumi smiled softly, "although my mother told me it was sort of a trick our parents played on their parents."

"Trick?" Nabiki blinked.

"Ne, you have much of our mother's cleverness, Nabiki," Kasumi rubbed her lower lip against the rim of her cup, "as well as from our father, his tales of his life with Happousai shows it."

"They show a few other things as well," Nabiki poured more tea for herself, "it makes me wonder if our mother was the rudder of our household."

Nodoka nodded, accepting more tea from Kasumi, "Things move forward, some changing and some are resolved for good or for ill. Now is the time to guide those changes instead of letting chaos guide them." The oldest female once more added a little dab of honey to her tea, "Ranma-chan, have you decided how you are going to pay the short-term costs to get the dojo back on its feet?"

Ranma nodded, looking at Nabiki, "I was hoping Nabiki could help there. She's got'ta most horse sense when it comes to the ins-and-outs of deals."

"It would be a challenge, one I understand quite well," Nabiki smiled a little wider, "much as Ranma understands a challenge between martial artists," the dark-haired teenager rubbed the rim of her cup against her small chin, "the problem is one of availability in funds. Right now most of the assets are tied up. It will take time to loosen up the necessary cash for a venture like this one."

"What about an infusing of cash from a new source ka?" Nodoka seem to measure her question carefully, "Since our families are now united, there is another source I can bring to the table."

"Does this have something to do about Kasumi's dream?" Nabiki's question startled Kasumi, who looks at her younger sister before looking at Ranma's mother.

"Hai..." Kodoka looked at each of the girls at the kitchen table, "What I'm proposing is since my husband didn't offer anything on his side of the arranged marriage, I would like to sell the Saotome home and give Ranma the money to invest in the dojo, make it a modern fitness and martial arts physicality," she watched closely the ripple of emotions upon each face, "which would mean I would move into here and help Kasumi with handling the running of the home," her motherly eyes focus on Kasumi, "so she can go to college and earn her nursing degree."

"Oya maa..." Kasumi expression warred with her usual placid demeanor, her eyes showing a desire, a hunger, for the offer given by Nodoka.

"Yare-yare, Oneechan," Nabiki placed her right hand on Kasumi's left shoulder, "we can even say it is tradition if our fathers object to this plan. Nodoka moving in could be seen as the 'husband's parents'" she winked at Ranma, who grinned evilly, "are coming to live with 'her'." The middle Tendo sister giggled with relish, "Kya! The furball stays here all the time anyway, despite not having to hide from his own wife anymore," she bowed a little to Nodoka, "no offense, Nodoka-san."

"None taken, Nabiki-chan," Nodoka slowly rolled the half-full cup between her palms to warm them, "I was unhinged...I spent eight years waiting patiently for Genma and Ranma to return. My love for both of them was the lifeline that held me together, but as each year passed, my dread grew. A dread of my husband and son were dead or something had happened to prevent their return. It didn't help I had experienced the many vices of Happousai, fearful his unmanly behavior would corrupt my son." Ranma reached for his mother's hands, but she held one hand up, "Iie, Ranma-chan, this is necessary so your new in-laws do not think I am the same crazed woman, who might seek to give her offspring an honorable death."

"I don't think of you as being insane," Kasumi assured Nodoka, "I'm not sure how I would react if I was in the same situation." the oldest sister giving Nabiki a hard look, making sure no snide remark coming from the younger sister. Nabiki rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut.

"I don't agree," Nodoka countered, "looking back, having a mature woman walking around Tokyo with a katana at hand must have looked like some vengeful spirit out of a samurai movie." Nodoka's gaze showed regret, "In my twisted state, my belief in bushido became an obsession wa."

"Okasan," Ranma's baby blues shimmer with unshed tears, "I...I didn't want to hurt you...I...I...didn't remember where we lived...I barely remembered you...I...I...only knew we were on a training trip..." she sniffled, "I even thought you...let me go because...because you didn't want me da."

"Ranma-chan," Nodoka gently hugged Ranma's head to her chest, "my love for you is eternal," she kissed the top of her child's head, "I just wish we had met in better circumstances. No mother should frighten their child," the older female lifted the young teenager face up to look at, "and you turned out quite well. I might not have a son anymore, but I do have a beautiful and spirited daughter," then she giggled softly, "besides having Genma cursed to be a panda is a fit punishment ne."

Ranma giggled as well, noticing shimmering eyes from Kasumi and even Nabiki was rubbing her eyes. If there was one thing that could make this tomboy tear-up, it was her mother. She stared into Nodoka's eyes for a moment, enjoying the motherly warmth from them before straightening, clearing her throat, "Hai...we all know how much Kasumi wants to be a nurse and be with Tofu-sensei, professionally and personally," Kasumi blushed, looked down politely but didn't deny what was said, "and maybe this daughter thinks like her mother, I've been looking over the different sports venues in Nerima and there isn't any that specialize in a mix of martial arts and fitness center. Also the Tendo compound has a lot of land."

"Approximately ten acres of land," Nabiki put in her two cents, running one finger along the edge of her cup, "about seven months ago, when things were really tight, I checked on land prices and found out our land was one of the largest pieces of property left in the old section of the town. There are still five and two acre lots in the neighborhood, but many families sold off their excess land in the sixties and seventies to help pay for their children education or to start a small business," her businesswoman smile appearing, "in fact the only compound larger than ours is the Kuno estate."

Ranma let out a whistle, while Nodoka said, "Land in any part of Tokyo is going to be worth a great deal." The oldest female paused a moment, thinking before asking, "You know the Saotome home, Nabiki-chan?" The middle daughter nodded, "How much do you think my home is worth wa?"

"Probably enough to back a long-term loan for the expansion we are talking about," Nabiki replied, her eyes glowing with interest.

"Enough left over to help pay for Kasumi's college expenses as well as yours, Ranma and Akane ka?" Nodoka sipped her tea.

Nabiki grinned wide, "Hai."

"And what if I object to selling 'our' home?" A voice came from the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. Ranma's eyes go to flint at seeing Genma standing there, with Soun behind him.

Nodoka doesn't turn around, doesn't face her husband, "Genma...do you know the pain and suffering you put me through by taking away my child for so long ka?"

"I didn't want any feminine weaknesses to get into our son," Genma glared at Ranma, "as I promised you, when Ranma returned to our home, he would be a man amongst men ze."

"Feminine weaknesses? A man amongst men?" Nodoka's voice became chilly, "You took our child away from me for ten years. Now you come back and expect everything will be fine. I have accepted Ranma because he had the strength of mind, soul and body to overcome all of your follies and foolishness ne."

"I am still your husband, Nodoka," Genma's face clouded with disgust as his gaze moved from Nodoka back to Ranma, "and Ranma is still my son da."

"Iie, neither one of those are true," as if from nowhere, Nodoka's katana appeared in her hands, gasps coming from Kasumi and Nabiki, with Ranma barely seeing the blur of her mother drawing the blade from the folds of her kimono, "you were gone from our home and family for ten years, Genma, and during that time you avoided any contact with the Japanese government. As such, two years ago you were declared dead by the courts."

The sight of the naked blade held upright, the tip pointing at the ceiling, caused Genma to pale, his complexion going ghost white at his wife's announcement, "I'm dead!"

"So would have Ranma except two years ago, you had him going to a private boys school for four months," Nodoka continued to look away from Genma, her katana coldly glitter in the kitchen light, "had you not lived a life of a criminal in Japan and other countries, or at least sent me letters to let me know how you and our child were doing, you wouldn't be a walking corpse."

"Two years ago...when I met Ryoga," Ranma whispered, looking at his parents.

"So the government sent Nodoka a notice about Ranma going to the private school," Nabiki guessed, her voice sounding very much like the Ice Queen of old, "which caused even further mental hardship and anguish to her," her icy eyes look straight at Genma, "and here I thought you couldn't fuck up worse, Genma-san, but you had to prove me wrong."

"What does this mean?" Soun's tone showed he was having trouble understanding what was happening.

"It means Genma is no longer legally my husband nor does he have any legal rights, including property rights," Nodoka answered, "which means I own the family home and I can do whatever I want with it. Including selling it and giving the money to Ranma to make the Anything-Goes dojo a more active part of Nerima."

Genma was speechless, his mouth moving but no sound coming from it, the upheld katana seeming to keep his tongue from getting him into more hot water. Finally Soun puts his hand on his old friend's shoulder, "Genma-kun, I think a necessary retreat is required here."

Genma looked at Soun, before scanning the faces of the seated ladies, finally finding his voice, "What of our 'son'?"

"Don't make me puke, Oyaji," Ranma slowly stood up, using the chair to lean on, "I am tired of you using me as an excuse, conning people out of their money, using your honey words to steal from them and using your own 'son' like your own personal piece of ass," her baby blues blazing, "you've made the name of Saotome a caricature, a joke, and I refuse to bear it anymore." Genma stared at the redhead, watching as the teenager's hand dug into the wood of the chair, "When I first came here, Soun-san offered to adopt me into the Tendo family when I married one of his daughters, so the Tendo name could continue," her gaze shifted to Soun, "you got'ta deal, Otousan," a thin smile on her pretty lips, "from now on I'm Tendo Ranma...ile...I'm Tendo Ran, the loving mate of Tendo Akane."

"I won't allow..." Genma words are cut-off, finding Nodoka finally facing him, still seated with the sharp edge of her katana to his fat throat, "Nodoka?"

"Both Akane and Ranma are seventeen years old and they can legally marry without their parents' consent," Nodoka glared at Genma, "and Ranma can adopted Akane's family name with her consent, which I am sure she would gladly give, I doubt she would want the albatross of Saotome around her neck as well as the necks of her children."

"Children?" Genma choked out, trying to keep the bobbing of his Adam's apple from cutting his own throat, "They both have cunts."

"How could I have been so blind as to marry such a stupid man," Nodoka sounded heartbroken, as if her own words were daggers stabbing her, "they could always adopt children and they would be loved and cherished just as if they came from their wombs."

Soun pulled Genma's from the sharpness of the katana, "You both are letting things go to your heads," the elder Tendo warned, "and you both should be happy. Our children have married and the plan the ladies are working on here is a good one." Soun moved to stand between Genma and the sword, "Now I will admit things haven't gone the way I thought they would, and I'm as much at fault for the circumstances," his tone showing guilt, "I've let the dojo go to seed, I've haven't done much to be worthy to be the head of this household."

"Otousan," Kasumi stood, going over to her father to comfort him, "it's okay, I'm the oldest and I witnessed the devastation our mother's death was to you. You sent away the students you were teaching at the dojo, you lost yourself in drink and wandered about our home, seeming to be waiting for our mother to appear."

"Kasumi," Soun smiled at his oldest daughter, tears showing in his eyes, "you did everything you could to lessen her loss," his expression warm, "and I didn't realize how much you took on the role of mother for your younger sisters, even a surrogate wife for me," he brushed a single tear from Kasumi's cheek, "and it worked and I'm grateful, but the sacrifices you made to do this. You didn't go to high school, you forsake your dreams of being a nurse and your love for a young man."

"You are siding with them, Tendo-kun?" Genma sounding wounded, "You are going to allow this joke of a marriage to go through without a fight?"

"Soatome-kun," Soun looked at his old friend, "ten hours ago I was grieving over the death of my youngest daughter," tears flowing down his thin cheeks, "all of the pain and suffering I experienced with the death of their mother had come back to me," her gaze shifted to Ranma, "then this redheaded teenager came and my daughter returned from the realm of the dead." His eyes moved to Kasumi and then to Nabiki, who's expression showed approval, before returning to Genma, "I did a lot of soul searching this morning in my room, old friend, and I had found I had lost face even with myself. So I have decided it was time to move forward, to stop just existing."

"Ya da ore!" Genma stared at Soun, then at Nodoka and finally to Ranma, "I'm not giving into this fantasy! I'm going to get my son back!"

"I'm not your boy anymore." Ranma snarled at Genma, before shifting his attention to Nodoka, "Okasan, I...I'm yours still, this adoption doesn't mean I'm forsaking you," her left fingertips touching her mother's right elbow, causing the older female to lower her blade, "and I'll need your help and support," her baby blues more to Soun, "yours too, Soun-san. I'm gonna make you both proud of the Tendo dojo of Anything Goes."

"Shinjinnai..." Genma shook his head, "I'm packing my stuff and leaving this madhouse, but this isn't over," resolve in his tone, "not by a long-shot." The elder martial artist turned and goes down the hallway, heading for the guest room.

Soun shook his head, "I'm going to go with him. Maybe I can talk some sense into his thick head." The slim martial artist moved over to Nabiki, who stood up, "Here, Nabiki-chan," he held out his seal, "You can use this for any legal papers you need to sign to get this plan going, as well as Ranma joining our family," Nabiki nodded, accepting the seal. Then Soun's gaze shifted to Nodoka, "If you are acceptable for such an arrangement."

"I believe it is for the best," Nodoka slid her katana back into its hidden scabbard, "while I'm not completely happy with Ranma's decision to be adopted, while I am still trying to get use to her being fully female, I can understand why it happened."

Soun nodded, "I better get my travel kit together, Genma is going to leave as fast as possible." The middle-aged man hugged each of his daughters, then Ranma, "I hope this time you not going to slug me, Ran-chan."

"Iie, I'd gotta accept hugs, be a gal instead of a guy," Ranma smiled, rubbed a tear from one eye, "and please...take care of...of him."

Soun nodded, turning to Nodoka, "Domo arigato, Nodoka-san, I'm glad you will be here to shepherd my daughters, including Ranma, I feel better having an adult here," he bowed to her, "because I want to see the tree of my children's dreams to bear fruit."

"I will, Soun-san," Nodoka smiled up at Soun, the exchange of expressions between the two adults caused a look of interest to appear on Nabiki's face, "It will feel very good to have a family to care for again."

"Ja na," Soun smiled, left the kitchen, heading for his room to pack.

Everyone took a moment to catch their breath, looking at each other, before Kasumi said, "We better fix something for choshoku." Her warm eyes fell on Ranma, "Ranma-chan, I'm going to fix some leek porridge for Akane. Could you take it up to her? It is one of her favorites."

"Hai," Ranma grinned.


	3. Chapter 2

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Chapter Two: The Birds and the Bees

Akane's subconscious flickered at the light sound of her bedroom door sliding open, revealing Ranma with her crutches under each arm and a tray balancing on her red-haired head. The tomboy stooped to get through the door without the top of the frame knocking the bowl of leek porridge and glass of orange juice off the flat surface. The teenager looked at Akane, noticing the continued soft breathing and the good color of her face. Ranma felt a fluttering inside of her chest along with a renewing sense of purpose. Her baby blues spoke volumes of how much she believed her sacrifice for Akane was the right decision.

Once to the bed, Ranma moved the lamp to Akane's desk and placed the tray on the table next to Akane's bed. Then Ranma thought a moment, building up a little more of her resolve, before she lean down and kissed softly the lips of the sleeping girl, letting her lips feel the texture of those lips before parting, whispering, "Akane...Kasumi fixed some leek porridge for you."

It took seconds for Akane to react, pushing her brain out of the chemical-induced slumber, her eyelids flutter and her tongue licked her lips, "Ano...whatever you had tasted good..." her eyes opened but it is a struggle, her vision a little glassy, "leek porridge...I haven't had it since the last time I was sick."

Ranma smiled and using several pillows to support Akane's back, helped her beloved to sit up in bed, "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts...a little...although not like the rest of my body," Ranma began to feed Akane the porridge with a soup spoon, "I woke up a little..." she made a yummy sound as she enjoyed the taste of the creamy porridge, "I heard voices downstairs."

Ranma wasn't sure how much she should tell Akane about what happened in the kitchen, she really didn't understand much about concussions, but she knew negative emotions affect the body, especially someone with a hair trigger temper like Akane had. In the end he decided to depend on the medications Doctor Tofu gave for Akane, "There was a kitchen table discussion between me, Nodoka, Nabiki with Kasumi supplying the tea and her advice."

"Uaa...your first hen session," Akane smiled a little, "owe...that hurts more than the joke," the prone girl took in several more spoonfuls of her breakfast, then continued, "I can guess the discussion included our wedding and you choosing to stay female."

"Some of it was, most of it was about our future plans, about how the dojo is a part of your dowry and what we could do with it," Ranma softly blows on the hot substance before holding the spoon to Akane's lips, "it came back to me being female and our marriage when our fathers joined the group."

"I thought it got loud down there," Akane took in the porridge, her eyes a little brighter, "and your pajamas don't look torn or soiled."

"My mother's katana did a lot of talking," Ranma held the glass of orange juice so Akane could sip from it, "plus my father found out his legal residence is suppose to be under a gravestone."

Akane took in a couple of mouthfuls of orange liquid, before laying her head back on the pillows supporting her upper body, "Wish I had seen the look on his face." She closed her eyes and for a moment it looked like the girl had fallen asleep, "How are you holding up...Ranma...now you are female...not some boy stuffed into a drowned girl's body wa?"

"I feel different...most of the time when I was a girl...I only acted like one to get some free eats or to fool someone," she offered more porridge to Akane, who shook her head, "other times I was so pissed off I could only act like a guy, like the first time I ran into Ko Lon or when Herb put the wammy on me," she put the bowl back on the tray.

"How different ne?" Akane sounded sleepy.

Ranma looked at her feet, "Ano...this body really feels like it belongs to me...so is my noggin," she taps the middle of her forehead," I felt it changing...like some tiny electrician pulled out all of AC wires and replaced them with DC wires."

Akane giggled softly, "Sounds mind-blowing..." she yawned, "I'm tired...talk to you...later," in less than a minute she was sound asleep.

Ranma stood at the top of the stairs, balancing the tray on her head, along with the empty bowl and glass. She looked over her shoulder when the door to Nabiki's room slid open, allowing the middle Tendo sister and Nodoka to come out. At seeing the redhead using the crutches, the oldest female said, "Let me get those for you," coming over and taking the tray from her daughter's head.

"I'm off to school," Ranma smirked at Nabiki's proclamation, since the older teenager is wearing her school uniform, although the redhead blinked at the light makeup the schoolgirl was wearing. Nabiki noticed the expression, "You got a cool momma there, Ranma-chan," she ruffled her bob-cut hair, showing it had been carefully layered to look more stylish, the morning light in the hallway catching the glitter of her dark purple-painted fingernails, "she said I looked too plain for high school."

"A young girl should make her appearance to be as pretty and glamorous as possible," Nodoka smiled at the two teenagers, "for in high school a lady experiments with makeup to show off her best physical assets, so by the time she goes to college or a business interview, she can get the best results."

Nodoka walked down the stairs, while Nabiki continued to stand by Ranma, "I can already see benefits in having your momma here, Ranma-chan."

"Hai..." Ranma felt so warm inside watching her mother head to the kitchen. Her gaze shifted to Nabiki, "Domo arigato, Nabiki..." paused for a moment before she continued, "Nabiki-neechan," she bowed her head, "for agreeing to get mine and Akane's schoolwork."

"No probmento, Ranma-chan," Nabiki's expression brighten at the honorfic the redhead used, "except for what was happening between Akane and Kuno, things were pretty dull here until you and your family liven things up," Ranma giggled while her hair was ruffled by Nibiki, "as for the dojo plan we discuss earlier, I see too many benefits," Ranma's expression showed doubt, "sure there are risks as in any business venture..." a noise drew her dark eyes down to the ground level. Genma stormed across the living room, a large backpack slung upon his back and a large water canister in one hand. Soun was in his friend's wake, making a detour to the kitchen. Nabiki's gaze shifted to Ranma, noticing the trembling lower lip, those baby blues so wide, "You love him a lot ne."

"I hate him," tears at the corners of Ranma's eyes, "he turned my life into a train wreck...took me from my mother, took me away from everything pretty and wonderful...made me the focus of all of his schemes and bullshit...he hurt so many people...some of them my friends...like Uu-chan," tears ran down her cheeks, "how can I not hate him."

Soun came out of the kitchen with several additional packages to go with his travel kit. He looked up the stairs, saw Nabiki hugging Ranma, the red-haired head press to the older teen's shoulder. Eyes of the middle daughter met her father's dark eyes, each sharing a silent farewell, expressions showing shared promises. Then Soun was out the house and moving to catch up with the bald man.

Nodoka came out of the kitchen, using a napkin to dab the corners of her eyes, clearly like her daughter, she was having a hard time with her husband's departure. Kasumi came out as well, drying her hands on a towel, taking in the surroundings. Giving it a moment, the elder sister cleared her throat, getting the attention of the others, including Ranma, who lifted her head from Nabiki's shoulder, her blue eyes puffy and her cheeks wet, "I hate to bring up this subject, but we should talk about it since Ranma has joined our sisterhood."

Nodoka looked at Kasumi owlishly before the expression showed understanding, "Ranma-chan, did your father ever talk to you about sex?"

Ranma sniffled, rubbed her nose, "Iie...I missed Sex Education in junior high..." she rubbed her cheeks with her right wrist, "and I'm suppose to have it this upcoming semester at Fuurinkan."

Kasumi and Nodoka looked at each other while Nabiki continued to comfort Ranma, rubbing the slightly taller girl's upper back, "Ranma-chan, when you were in the drowned girl form," Kasumi asked, "did you ever experience a period wa?"

"You mean the monthly visitor?" Ranma's voice husky from her crying, "Iie...neither when Kuh Lon nailed me nor when Herb fucked me up royal," she sniffled again, "must've been lucky I guess da."

Nabiki was a little surprised by Ranma's words, not that Ranma hadn't experienced a period, but that she knew what it was when she was a he, "You knew about it wa yo?"

Ranma looked a little insulted, "I'm dense not stupid," she rubbed her flush cheeks to dry them, "maybe I didn't before I got here, but living here with mostly girls, I did learn a few things like knocking on the door of the bathroom before going in, leaving the seat down on the toilet and not freaking out when seeing blood spots on panties in the dirty laundry bin."

"What were you doing going through our dirty laundry wa yo?" Nabiki's eyes widen.

"Were you sniffing panties wa?" Nodoka asked, sounding a little too accepting of such behavior.

"Kuso! Course not!" Ranma's face a bright red, while Kasumi giggled softly behind one hand, "I was...I was..." her voice going shy, "I was looking for some panties to use...I was in girl form...my boxers in the wash...couldn't use Soun or Oyaji briefs," she winkled her nose, "they smell icky da."

"Who's panties fitted you the best?" Nabiki grinned, still with one hand gently rubbing Ranma's upper back.

"Ano...Akane's panties," Ranma blushed at her own words, "we're the same size, although not anymore."

"We're going to need to get Ranma some underwear for her own," Kasumi suggested, her eyes compared Ranma to Nabiki, "for now, I think you can borrow some of Nabiki's undies."

Nabiki rolled her eyes, "In for a penny in for a pound," her gaze didn't show any irritation, "Ranma can use my panties but..." she pinched Ranma's nose, "but later today we are going shopping for some new clothes for you," Ranma nodded while her nose is held, "and a new outfit for me ne?" Ranma nodded a second time.

"So what did you think when you saw the blood spots on Akane's panties?" Kasumi asked, pretty sure those were the ones that freak-out the teenager.

"Blood spots on Akane's..." Nodoka makes an O-shape with her mouth, "That bad?"

Nabiki sighed, "Hai...her hair trigger temper is very-very short when she has her period."

"It's why Akane has such low self-esteem about her physical attributes as a woman," Kasumi explained to Nodoka, "I have the mildest period," the eldest sister sounding matter-of-fact, "and it helps Nabiki responses very well to yarrow tea," Kasumi hands are folded over her apron, "but I haven't found any herbal remedy to help Akane and she refuses to go to a doctor, even Tofu-sensei, about her condition."

"Akane thinks she's too tough," Ranma shrugged, "to let her crimson rose make her look like a weak girl."

"So you found Akane's panties, freaked out about the blood stains and what did you do?" Nabiki asked.

"I didn't ask Akane, I wanted to live so we could get hitched," Ranma smirked softly, "instead I sneaked to the high school and used their computer. That is where I found out what a period was and it convinced me to try to keep my time as a girl as short as possible," she cupped both of her breasts, giving each a delicate squeeze, "but I think that plan has become a no-go wa."

"I would say so," Nabiki grinned, then got an idea, "Ne-ne, Oneesan, why don't you give Ranma your birds-and-the-bees session," she saw the puzzled look coming from Nodoka, "Kasumi does a very good job explaining sex and how it works and all of its variations and stuff." Her dark eyes back to Ranma, "How about it, Ranma-chan? Not even the Sex Ed teacher can hold a candle to her."

Nodoka was puzzled by Nabiki's suggestion, the mother wasn't surprised by the praise given by the middle sister to her older sister, from everything she had experienced here, Nodoka thought she would never find any teenager more mature than Kasumi. In fact Kasumi would have been the mother's choice for wife to her son, but Nodoka knew there was no logic when it came to love, Kasumi made her choice years before. Still the elegant lady couldn't think of anyone more motherly and mature to handle such a subject. Keeping her expression thoughtful, she looked at each of the girls, noticing Nabiki's prideful expression, Kasumi's posture of modesty posture and Ranma's own questioning look, "Ranma-chan, what do you think on Nabiki's suggestion wa?"

Ranma looked at Kasumi and couldn't find any reason why not. For a whole year, Kasumi was the eye of Hurricane Saotome-Tendo, rarely had the maternal sister ever lost her cool nor had she despair over circumstances. Even when she was possessed by a demon, it was the sweetest possession the redhead had ever experienced, it was like Kasumi was trying to kill them with kindness. In the end, Ranma smiled, nodded, "Hai."

Kasumi smiled, but it was the wicked look in Nabiki's eyes which worried the young martial artist, "I better get going to school or I'll end up in detention," she gave Ranma a one-arm hug, "Welcome to the family, Ranma-chan." Ranma felt her heart skip a beat at Nabiki's warmth. Everyone watched the middle sister rapidly go down the stairs, giving a bow to Nodoka, "I hope you can uphold the reputation of the mistress of this household, Nodoka-san," a little dare was in her tone, "you coming after two of the best I know."

Nodoka nodded, patting Nabiki's cheek, "I agree, Nabiki-chan, I knew your mother, the best wife and mother I ever met," she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Kasumi had gone back into the kitchen, "and your sister is so like her."

Nabiki nodded, "Ja ne." The dark-haired teenager in her school fuku headed for the front entrance, grabbing her book bag, slipping on her shoes at the genkan and out the door.

Kasumi came back out of the kitchen, sighing a little, "I wish Nabiki didn't think I was a miracle worker," her cheeks colored pink, "it can be hard to meet those expectations," her bashfulness showing, "and I don't mean to usurp your role as mother to your s...to your daughter. I don't have any experience with sex while you do."

"A teenage girl with an ochoko can have just as much knowledge about sex as a mature woman with a ohachi," Kasumi blushed deeply while Ranma was confused: Shallow sake cup? Deep bowl? "Please, I know my daughter needs the knowledge you can offer her, I know I would when I was her age."

Kasumi smiled a little wider, made her way up the stairs to Ranma, "Ranma-chan, we are going to first see how Akane is doing, then we will go to my bedroom."

Ranma grinned at Kasumi, "Arigato, sensei," which got Kasumi to giggle behind one hand. The redhead followed on her crutches, "I really mean it, from all the stuff I've heard from Hiroshi and Daisuke, I gotta impression sex is sort'ta martial arts."

Kasumi's eyes lit up at the comparison, "A good guess, Ranma-chan, but a better way of thinking of sex is as romantic arts."

"So ka," Ranma nodded slowly.

In Akane's bedroom, they found the youngest sister slumbering, the movement of her eyes under their lids and a tiny smile on her lips, suggesting she was having a happy dream. This scene brought a warm smile to Ranma's lips, but she did notice something, "Ano...Kasumi-chan, why are Akane's tats like that da?"

Kasumi smiled sweetly, "When you were a boy, Ranma-chan, did you wake up with morning wood?"

"Mornin' wood..." Ranma blinked, "Oi! You mean my dick hard," she blushed deeply, rubbing her neck, "kinda embarrassing...had one last all night." She looked more carefully at how Akane's nipples were outlined in her pajama top, "So girls so through the same thing na?"

"Hai," Kasumi whispered, "but I'll tell you more once we reach my bedroom, the older sister surprised Ranma's shout hadn't waken Akane.

Ranma had never been in Kasumi's bedroom. Everyone in the household seemed to keep their personal chaos away from it, like it was the holy of holies. Any time Ranma saw someone going in or coming out from Kasumi's bedroom, the expressions they had were polite or even meek. Once inside the bedroom, Kasumi motioned for Ranma to sit on her bed. The redhead hobbled over to it, the bed was a single with thick blankets since it was early March, the homemade comforter having a lovely pattern of blooming roses of white and blue with twisting thorny vines of green linking them. As Ranma settled on it, she found it soft, yielding under her bottom. There was a nightstand next to the bed on the right side, one of Tofu-sensei's medical textbooks resting on top of it, with several yellow markers sticking out, and a small test booklet resting on top of them, "You are quizzing yourself, Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi went over to her closet, "While it was necessary for me to put away my childhood dreams to help my family," her voice sounding hopeful, "I kept up on my studies with help from Tofu-sensei and a few of his friends at Tokyo Medical and Dental University."

"Night school?" Ranma looked over her shoulder, watching the oldest sister selecting several items from the closet.

"Of sorts..." Kasumi seemed to be thinking about what to use for the first lesson, "I studied here in my bedroom after everyone has retired for the night."

Those words had a huge impact on Ranma, it caused her to remember nights where the gentle glowing light came from Kasumi's bedroom window at all hours in the morning, "Gomen nasei, Kasumi-chan, I feel...I feel...baka."

Kasumi came from the closet, her arms holding several manga and a pull-string bag, "'It is my cross to bear' as the Christians would say," she smooth her sundress under her thighs before sitting down, "and it would give me great pleasure if you call me, Onee," her eyes bright with affection, "now you are an official part of our family."

"Ee, Onee," they both giggled as Ranma tried to sound cute.

"Very kawaii, Ranma-chan." Kasumi placed the items on the bed, "Are you ready for your first session ne?"

Ranma's eyes widen at the hint of more than one session, "Ain't sex and love simple...kuso...scratch that, I know that's bunk, just look at merry-go-round me and Akane ended up on."

"Honto ne," Kasumi giggled softly, nodding, "Now, Ranma-chan, when was the first time you experienced arousal? I mean when did you get a hard-on when you were a boy?"

Ranma blushed deeply, looking at her feet, "I think I was thirteen," a faraway tone in her words, "Oyaji and I were in a small town on the east coast of Japan, there was an old sensei there teaching an unique style of judo. I went to a sento because the camp we were staying at a camp didn't have any showers. At the time I thought it was like those in the major cities, separated by gender," her rosy cheeks darkened, "so I went there. I think the clerk at the door thought I was younger than I was, my growth spurt didn't happen until just before I went to the private boys school, where I met Ryoga."

Kasumi nodded, one hand resting on top of Ranma's crossed hands, which covered the redhead's lap, "Go on."

Ranma's eyes shifted to Kasumi's hand, how motherly it looked with housekeeper fingernails, the skin of her fingers and palm rough, "I was in the soaking pool with a damp cloth on my head, enjoying the soothing heat, when a group of women came in from the locker room." Those baby blues taking on a deer-in-the-headlights look, "I was trapped, I wanted to get out but I didn't want to expose my dingdong," Kasumi gently rubbed the top of Ranma's hands, encouraging her to continue, "I thought I could wait them out, keep the towel on my head, stay in a corner and stay quiet."

Kasumi had an idea how things went, "But things didn't go as you planned wa?"

Ranma nodded, "It was clear sailing while the gals were washing up. They were gossiping like all girls do," Kasumi smiled at how Ranma framed her words, "talkin' about guys and spuds for some reason," Ranma felt an aura of comfort coming from her sister-in-law, allowing her to continue her tale, "but then they started to come to the pool." Ranma's blush spread down her neck, "This...this was... before the curse so...so...so I never seen a naked girl before...I...I don't remember how...how Mom looked naked." She swallowed, trying to keep her brain from overloading, "They didn't notice me...chatting and giggling like schoolgirls...but as they spread out...and...I got'ta eyeful of...of everything."

Kasumi smiled, gently squeezed the top of Ranma's hands, "A lot of cheesecake ne?"

"A whole lotta Paris and London," Ranma's mouth as dry as a desert, "their tats were...nice...Asian sized...it was like their nipples were pointing at me," Kasumi's presence helping the young teenager to talk, "but it was their...their kanojo no asoke...their thingies made me feel strange inside."

"So a woman's vagina was a turn-on for you ne?" Kasumi politely asked.

It was hard to tell which was more scarlet, Ranma's hair or her ears, "Some...some were really hairy down there...couldn't see anything," her tongue feeling so big in her mouth, "some no hair...lips smooth...some thin...some plump...others...others a flower in full bloom," Ranma tried to keep her baby blues from glancing at Kasumi's crotch, "others sorta in-between...hair trimmed to look like roads, hearts, arrows..." Ranma words failed her.

Kasumi nodded at the description, "Some women find having a hairless vagina makes for better sex," her words having a caring tone, "the different styles of doing their pubic hair is a matter of personal taste," she noticed Ranma's glances, "and yes, I keep my kanojo no asoke shaved, it does help with feminine hygiene."

Ranma nodded, pulling her legs up to rest her chin on them, Kasumi shifting her hand to hold Ranma's right hand, "It was a mistake for me to stare, because it got their attention."

"Oya maa," Kasumi sounded a little concern, "I hope they let you explain your mistake, Ranma-chan."

"I...I couldn't talk, Onee," Ranma squeezed Kasumi's hand, "sorta of cat got my tongue," her voice staying soft, "and the girls acted like it was a common mistake...I think they thought I was much younger," her chin trembled against the clef between her knees, "and a couple of them sat beside me, smiling politely and asking my name. I...I tried to say something...ta explain myself...but one of them touched me...inside of my...my thighs...it was then I realized my mono...my male thingie was as tall as a pine tree."

Kasumi frowned a little, it sounding very much like these little town girls were about to molest Ranma, talk about gang mentality, "What happened?"

"I was scared shitless...the gal's hand moving to my junk...I screamed like a little girl...I walked on water to get out'ta there," the redhead leaned a little toward Kasumi, who in turn slip an arm around the youngest teenager's shoulder, "I din' stop in the locker room...I had to borrow some later."

Kasumi squeezed Ranma's shoulder, knowing silent comfort is what the redheaded girl needed right now. The older teenager did find this story explained much about Ranma's own inability to handle women or any girl in a sexual way, let alone romantically. Ranma wasn't bothered anymore by female nudity due to the curse, but thanks to Genma seeing his son's curse as a danger to the old man's lifespan, it left Ranma with a deeply rooted belief he was physically inadequate to pleasure a woman.

After a long silence, Kasumi asked, "Feel better, Ranma-chan?"

"Ee, Onee," Ranma nodded, enjoying the motherly comfort from the older teenager, "better than before," her eyes look up at Kasumi's face, "I only thought cats did this ta me."

Kasumi smiled, "There is a little bit of the cat in all girls," she let go of Ranma, straightening up, "more in some than in others."

Ranma giggled, straightening on the bed, "Was there a reason for your question, Onee?"

Kasumi nodded, "You see as you experience arousal that time, you noticed how your penis became erect and your heartbeat became rapid. You might have noticed your nipples became hard as well." Ranma crossed her legs while listening, "You see, most of a male arousal is internal, a shifting of blood into his loins and a rapid firing of certain parts of his brain."

Ranma nodded, "And you mentioned before girls have a different arousal."

"Hai." Kasumi pulled out a manga but held it so the redhead couldn't see the title, "It is estimated about forty percent of the male body is geared towards reproduction, the male body mostly meant physically to provide food and to protect his mate and their children. On the other hand approximately eighty percent of the female body is geared towards reproduction."

"Eighty percent wa yo!" Ranma's jaw hit the floor.

Kasumi nodded, "Unlike the male body, not only does the female's vagina and breasts become aroused, along with the chemical changes in her brain and rapid heartbeats, so does the rest of her body," Kasumi opens the manga to a marked page, "Her skin becomes flush and sensitive to stimulation, certain glands on her body produce a musk meant to single her arousal to her partner, even kissing is very stimulating for a woman."

"Kuso..." Ranma's eyes were wide as she looked at the pictures in Kasumi's manga, while the older teenager turned the pages, "Is there a reason why this happens to girls," she mentally kicked herself for the why she framed the question, "I mean is there a reason why this happens to girls like us ka?"

"It is necessary for the female to experience orgasm," Kasumi explained, bring out another one of her manga for Ranma to look at, "A male orgasm is easy to trigger and it usually happens early during intercourse, with some males having to mentally discipline themselves in an attempt to delay their orgasm so it will happen at the same time as their partner's orgasm, which is why foreplay, oral sex is important."

"Foreplay? Oral sex?" Kasumi started to show the young teenager different techniques of foreplay with the manga, "It sorta sounds like gals...we're addict to sex."

"Using foreplay is very necessary for female orgasm and does help in bonding between partners. A male thrusting his erect penis into a woman's vagina, until his orgasm causes his sperm to fill her womb, is the only thing necessary for possible procreation, but it usually leaves the female unfulfilled."

Ranma's blush was back in full force, "Ano...the pictures...the characters seem to be enjoying..." Kasumi turned a page, causing the redhead to bug-eyed, "in the butt?"

"Some girls and boys like it there," Kasumi replied, "for boys there is a prostate gland that is close to the anus opening, stroking it from the inside can produce a great deal of pleasure. For girls, if done right, it can stimulate her into orgasm, although for some anal penetration turns them on as a form of dominance play."

"Chikusho..." Ranma could feel her body was reacting to what Kasumi was showing her and telling her, "so doing this is pleasurable ne?"

"Hai," Kasumi smiled at the awe shown in Ranma's sapphire eyes, "biologically the chances of producing pregnancy from one coupling of male to female is low, so both the male and female body have evolved so sex produces a great deal of pleasure, which is why a woman wants to experience her own orgasm, because it is the epicenter of her sexual pleasure. In fact, once orgasm is triggered in a female, her body is so sensitized due to bliss erupting in her brain, she could have multiple orgasms with only a little stimulation."

Ranma looked back to the manga in Kasumi's lap, the mix of excitement, trepidation and understanding shined so brightly upon her features, "Onee, what about me and Akane, now I'm female."

"Do you still love Akane?" Kasumi asked, "Do you still find her attractive, desirable?"

"Hai," then Ranma's eyes go very wide, "Even more so than before."

Kasumi had wondered about this question herself, she wondered why so much of the sexual teasing and verbal foreplay between Ranma and Akane happened when they were both female. Did Akane find Ranma more erotic as a female and suppressed her attraction with extreme behavior? Did Ranma do the same because she didn't want Akane to find Ranma's girl form more desirable than the male form, despite Ranma's own attraction to Akane while female?

"Ranma-chan," Kasumi pulled out her copy of her favorite yuri manga, "Not all girls and boys are the same. The genes that channel how we develop from fetus to adult are different, even between siblings," Ranma looked at the cover of volume one, "as such our attraction to others of either gender are different. Some females only find males to be desirable as a sexual partner, some males only find females to be desirable as a sexual partner," Kasumi reached up and gently stroke Ranma's red hair, "and there are those males who find other males to be desirable as sexual partners, and the same is true of females. I'm sure if you watched carefully some of the students at Fuurinkan, I'm sure you might notice a few like that."

"You mean..." Ranma stopped herself from using the wrong words, "you mean guys liking guys...gals liking gals?" The redhead sensed every inch of herself tingling, she was using ever ounce of her martial arts discipline to keep check her impulses.

"Hai," Kasumi turned the pages of the manga so Ranma could look and read, "Formally those males are called gei, a romaji word found in English as gay, while females are called rezubian or rezu, again another romaji word found in English as lesbian or lez."

Ranma's expression showed confusion, Kasumi noticing the redhead squirming a little on the bed, "What am I?" The younger teenager pointed at herself.

"You said you still find Akane desirable?" Ranma nodded to Kasumi's question, remembering the strange sensation of what happened when she slipped the rings on both of them, the feeling of her brain being rewired. "Do you find males desirable?" Ranma shrugged here. "How about when Kuno or any other man hugged you as a girl?" The redhead shook her head vigorously. "What about when any of the girls hugged you when you were male or female?" Ranma thought for a moment before shaking her head slowly. "Only when you were with Akane did you have any special feelings?" Ranma nodded, "Even when she mallet you?" Ranma rolled her eyes, sighed, thought for a moment before nodding, "Well, I wouldn't say you were a typical rezubian, more that you are in love with Akane and don't really care about her gender."

"Hai," Ranma's gaze went back to manga while Kasumi turned the pages.

"Now Ranma-chan," Ranma attention moved back to Kasumi, "have you ever senzuri ka?'

"Masturbate?" Ranma shook her head violently, "Oyaji told me I would go blind..." then she saw the laughter on the face of the older teenager barely held in check, "he lie ne?"

"He lied," Kasumi confirmed, trying to cover her lower face with one hand. This once more brought up the issue of how much of a sexual cripple had the father turned his offspring into, "Ranma-chan, did you see your father with any other women while he was training you ka?"

Ranma frowned, "I don't think any woman would want a fat slob like Oyaji," her eyes narrow like blue lasers, "not even a two-yen whore wa."

Kasumi guessed as much, wondering if Genma bottomless pit of gluttony was to make up for his lack of sexual activity, "Ranma-chan, masturbation is done by males and females as a way to gain sexual release, an orgasm, when they are aroused, but cannot achieve a climax normally, because they are not in an intimate relationship with another, they don't want to pick up someone for a one-night-stand, or they have no desire to spend money for a joro, either male or female."

Once more Ranma squirm on Kasumi's bed, Kasumi able to see little points in the redhead's pajama top, "Onee..." Ranma licked her lips, "How do you do handle it...when you are aroused ne?"

"With this," Kasumi picked up an oblong black bag from under her bed, opened it and pulled out a six-inch dildo. At the sight of the sex toy, Ranma let out a little squeaky sound, "I can tell this is your first time at seeing a sex toy ne?" Ranma nodded infatuatedly, "The use of a dildo goes back in Japanese history for many centuries. Do you know that doing the Warring State Period, the male villagers and samurai would leave their villages and castles to fight in armies, leaving only old men, children and women behind," the younger teenager blinked with surprise, "Now tell me, Ranma-chan, do you think many of those young females would turn to for sexual release, especially if they weren't into other girls ne?"

"That faked dick wa?" Ranma watched as Kasumi carefully turn the dildo so the newly minted girl could see how realistic it was to the real thing.

"I didn't start with this," Kasumi could see the tension went leave Ranma's body, "I did start with temeko, fingering my vagina and kneading my breasts, and it worked just fine, but after a few years of it, it got old," the dark-haired teen put the dildo down on the bed between her and Ranma, "so I tried this," from the bag she brought out an foam-covered egg with a thin cord that came from a tiny, oblong controller with five buttons on it.

Nani?" Ranma didn't sound surprised as much as she was becoming very curious.

"This is a vibrator, pretty standard one, but effective," Kasumi touched a button on the controller and it began to vibrate, "a woman can place it at various depths in her vagina, although most of the erotic zones in one is close to the surface, concentrated around the clitoris and the G-spot."

"Clitoris? G-spot?" Ranma could barely hear the sound of the vibrator.

"The clitoris is the female version of a male's penis, although it can't pee or produce sperm," Kasumi took another of her manga, opened to a marked page, which showed an detailed picture of a vagina, "See, Ranma-chan, both the clitoris and the G-spot are where there is nests of nerve endings, very erotic and very sensitive to stimulation. When a girl becomes aroused, using a vibrator at either spots or moving it about to stimulate both, can trigger a full orgasm."

Ranma stared at the image of the vagina in the manga, listening to Kasumi before saying, "I didn't know any of this," she sounded disappointed in herself, "and here I've been a girl for close to a year."

Kasumi smiled, "With what Genma told you, Ranma-chan, I'm not surprised," the elder sister watching as Ranma reached out and touched the vibrator, "nor what happened to you in that sento." The curiosity in those baby blue eyes grew, "Would you like to borrow it?" Ranma's jaw dropped, she looked at Kasumi and then back at the vibrator, the same mix of emotions from before where back very strong, "I did notice you are reacting physically to our discussion and the pictures of my manga collection."

Ranma's face couldn't get any redder, she nibbled her lower lip, thinking really hard, her hand continuing to touch the vibrator, her mind digesting everything Kasumi had told her, finally saying, "Honto ne?" Her gaze dropped down to the pink dildo, "Can I borrow both da?"

Kasumi giggled softly, "Ne-ne, Ranma-chan, although your maidenhead is probably gone, your vagina is still very tight and something as big as this one would leave it very sore and tender." Reaching into the bag Kasumi brought out a smaller dildo, this one thin, "This is the first one I used when I found using a vibrator only wasn't cutting it anymore," the older teenager put the two sex toys in a small white bag.

"Domo arigato, Onee," Ranma accepted the bag, looked at it with growing excitement, then caught herself, "Ano..."

"Use the furo," Kasumi suggested, "The hot water will help in stimulating your body, plus your buoyancy will keep your inflated case out of the way."

"Ee," Ranma got up, holding the bag by its pull strings as she used her crutches to propel her to the door. She stopped before sliding it open, looking back, "There is more ne?"

"Much more, Ranma-chan," Kasumi picked up the black dildo, smiling over its phallic tip, "the birds and the bees having been doing it for million of years and they are not as inventive as we are."

Ranma came into the fuso feeling both excited and a little worried. She was pretty sure Kasumi would alert Nodoka what her daughter would be doing in the tub, but still the redhead didn't want her mother to walk in on her. As she stripped, the redhead was glad Nabiki was at school, Ranma knowing how much her new sister charged on nudie photos of the martial artist, pictures of her playing with herself would get Nabiki a bucket full of yen.

Along with her bathroom bowl, shampoo and soap, Ranma also brought a pair of scissors and a small hand mirror. Kasumi mentioning of feminine hygiene had reminded the redhead of needing to do something about her body hair. During her year as a girl, the one thing that bothered her a lot was how hairy she looked as a girl. As she had traveled the world with her father as a guy, his eyes had seen girls in their undies or nothing at all, but at the time he was either too young to understand about nudity or too shy to really look. Once he took a dip in Nyannichauan and gained his curse, he got use to the sight of his own naked female body. It didn't help it became very hard to stay in his male body when the curse seemed to go out of its way to make sure he was a she. Also on the road it was much harder to get a big quality of hot water to bathe in unless you were in a hot springs area, so Ranma ended up taking his baths in cold water. Of course if Ranma found a place to bathe, it was probably used by others and in the cursed girl body, it wasn't unusual for other girls seeming to appear from some local village to bathe with the cute redhead. At first when it happened, Ranma would wash extra fast and not let herself enjoy the cool water flowing over her body, but once it became a regular occurrence, Ranma became use to seeing a feminine body not her own in the buff. Like many teenage boys, Ranma found a girl's body to be attractive, but what got to her was how unattractive some girls look with heavy body hair.

Like he had related to Kasumi about his encounter with the pack of young women in the baths, it was their vagina that got his attention as a young adolescent boy. Now with the curse on him, it gave him a little better perceptive on the female body, causing him to be more critical about likes and dislikes, and a girl with a full brush and hairy armpits was big turn-off for him. It didn't help his cursed body was getting the same way, hairy. Now Ranma didn't feel confident enough to use a safety razor since he hadn't even shaved once as a guy, he was also worried about what might happen if the curse got funky on him and getting rid of most or all of his female body hair would translate to his male body. On more than one occasion Ranma would burst into a fit of giggles at a mental image his male body having a hairless crotch and armpits. Now that possibility no longer existed.

Once inside, Ranma put her crutches in a corner before hopping on one foot to the stool. She moved the stool over in another corner and sat down. Starting with her armpits, the redhead would plant her elbow against the ceramic wall of the fuso so she could use her hand to carefully hold her dark crimson hair of her pits. First using the larger scissors she cut the hair down before using the smaller scissors to trim it further down. Ranma had no plans to use a safety razor to remove the hair completely since she hadn't even begun to shave as a guy. The cute teenager used her towel shaped into a small hill and nestled the hand mirror on top. Then she spread her legs as wide as she could. She frowned at the thick bush of public hair before beginning the task. Careful not to pull too hard on the hairs with one hand, she begin to use the large scissors to get rid of the crimson forest, before switching to the smaller scissors to do some trimming and shaping. Taking her time, Ranma finally got it to where she wanted her slit to look, a light drizzle of red over her outer lips.

Of course Ranma rubbed her nether lips a few times to see how it felt as well as looked. Quickly the redhead found it did feel good, really-really good. Enough so it brought back the sensations of her first lesson with Kasumi had awakened. The teenager didn't want to lose this sensation, so she moved as quickly as she could to wash herself and then hopped to the door, slid open the divider and got into the deep tub.

Ranma took off the inflated case and let her right foot down into the hot water before she lowered the rest of her body. The girl let out a sigh as the steamy water crept up her body as she sat down in the oblong ceramic tub. She shivered a little as the heat tickled her vagina and lapped against her nipples, "Kama-sama...I feel a little silly doing this...but it does feel good." She reached over the edge of the tub and pulled out the egg vibrator from the black bag, "Waterproof da," she giggled as she turned it on. She hesitated for a moment before taking the egg under the surface. Once more Ranma stopped, feeling the vibrating device with her fingertips, "Kuso...wha' I'm afraid of," her baby blues going saucer wide as she touched the sex toy against her clitoris, a squeaky moan coming out of her mouth.

It took a minute for Ranma to think again, trying to keep herself relax, leaning back against the tub, licking her lips before another moan escaped, "Oyaji got'ta wrong..." she moved the vibrator from her clitoris and begin to lightly moving it over her outer lips, her wonder multiplying at her body's growing arousal. Ranma felt her folds spreading, her flower blooming, the vibrations increasing the pleasure. Then her toes curl as the egg slipped from her fingertips and inside of her, rubbing over her G-spot, bringing a deep moan from her.

The lapping of the hot water against her breasts made Ranma realize they wanted to get into the act. Leaving the vibrator control on the top of the edge of the tub, she moved her left hand and lightly rubbed her fingertips along the underside of her breast. The teenager reacted instinctively in arching her back, the soaking heat and the caress of her fingers upping her arousal. Ranma sensed whatever logic was left in her mind shutting down, the tiny sparks going off inside her head making her relax more even as her pleasure grew. Moving her hand up, her thumb rubbed over her right areole, brushing her nipple to bring more delicious shivers, her dark pink peak stiffening more. Her hand moved to her left breasts, her eyelids fluttering as she gently knead it.

Ranma continued to move the vibrating egg over her aroused sex, her folds so puffy and her clitoris so throbbing just as was her G-spot. The redhead was sucked in deeper and deeper into the pleasure, her moans merging with her panting, her kneading hand feeling the power of her beating heart under her squeezing fingers and rubbing palm. Even the feel of the moving water over her sensitized skin added to the growing sparks burning into her gray matter, each firing sending her further and further to the edge, the sensations so wonderful, so good. The young teenager didn't realize how close she was to her first orgasm until she went over the edge, her body arching almost out of the water as she screamed, waves of hot water breaking over the edge as she sag back in, her strong muscles flexing and shaking in her bliss-out state.

It felt like an eternity to Ranma before her brain could think again, her panting slowing down and her body feeling like she had rumbled with Ryoga. With her head resting on the edge of the tub, the seventeen-year-old stared up at the ceiling, her eyes sparkling with lust, "Kuso...beats ice cream all ta hell."


	4. Chapter 3

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Chapter Three: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

Location: Fuurinkan High School, Nerima, Tokyo

It was strange, even after selecting the homeroom president and doing the seating raffle, Ukyo ended up in the same seat she had occupied the previous year. She wasn't bothered by it, what did get under her wig was the absence of Ranma and Akane. She hadn't seen either one of them since the nuclear fallout zone that mimic the couple's wedding at the Tendo home. She was pretty sure Ranma and Akane were pissed off at her and the others who crashed the ceremony. The girl in the boy's winter uniform knew Nabiki's telephone call was a hook, she knew it was a ploy of some kind by the Ice Queen, but all of the same, the ponytail teenager bit the bait and took it hook, line and sinker. The only hope she had was Ranma and Akane had forgiven her since the wedding happened at the beginning of the late winter break and it was now the first week of a new school year, a month later.

At lunchtime Ukyo had cornered Hiroshi and Daisuke, literally, giving them the third degree. With both threats and promise of free okonomiyaki for a month, the martial arts cook discover Ranma's best buddies hadn't seen him since Friday, the threesome planning to go watch the latest Jackie Chan flick at the local theater on Saturday, but Ranma never showed up. This no-show worried Ukyo since Jackie Chan movies were the only martial arts movies Ranma would spend money to watch.

With this in mind, Ukyo went downstairs to Nabiki's homeroom, finding the middle Tendo sister with her crew of 'employees'. Leaving the king-sized spatula in her homeroom, Ukyo sneaked as close as she could to the group without giving herself a way. What she heard didn't match the look she saw in Nabiki's brown eyes. It sounded like normal business between the Ice Queen and her groupies, but the way the light dazzle in the money girl's eyes, the way she relished her food and the way she smiled at the other girls, it didn't make sense.

"Ne-ne, Ukyo-chan, thinking of joining us?" Nabiki asked without looking at where the martial arts cook was hiding in plain sight.

Ukyo groaned, looked down before asking, "Can we talk in private, Nabiki-senpai?"

"Hai," Nabiki stood and lead Ukyo out of the classroom to the closest maintenance closet, one of Nabiki's employees standing guard outside, "So what can I sell you ka?" The upper-class-mate leaned against the back wall.

"Ranma and Akane," no beating around the bush for Ukyo, "this is the first day of the new school year and they aren't in class. Where are they?"

"Ten-thousand yen," Nabiki grinned at the narrowing of the other teenager's eyes, "but since you are a businesswoman after my own heart, I'll take okonomiyaki for me and my crew for a year."

"Deal," Ukyo didn't think twice, "Now out with it."

"Akane and Ranma got married in a surprised ceremony following an ancient bushi tradition," amusement in Nabiki's features, "and I have to say Ranma even surprised me, which is no mean feat."

"NANI!" Ukyo's shout could be heard from outside of the closet.

Nabiki grinned wider, "It was planned by Ranma and he even got some help from Ryoga in carrying it out. Akane was so shocked when the ring slipped on her finger, she fainted, bumped her head and suffered an concussion," the older teenager gave Ukyo a Cheshire Cat's grin, "so the honeymoon has been postponed."

Ukyo felt hollowed inside, she took a step back and her foot tripped over empty bucket, the handle flipping up and snagging her feet, causing the martial arts cook to fall against the mops and brooms, the cleaning items making a loud clattering sound as the fell to the floor, along with Ukyo, "Iie..."

Nabiki watched Ukyo laying on the closet floor, amused by the other girl's reaction and deciding not to give away any freebies, "See you after school, Ukyo-chan, the mercenary girl waved at the shocked girl, "Ja ne."

As predicted Ukyo was waiting at the main entrance to the school grounds, her face a kaleidoscope of emotions. She wanted to deny what Nabiki told her, yet she knew there was one code that the middle Tendo sister adhered to, no lying. Sure she would tell half-truths or present the information in just the right way to allow the buyer to make assumptions, the correct ones or the wrong ones, but the bobby-haired teenager never told an out-and-out lied.

Finally Nabiki came out of the main entrance where the shoe lockers were located, her groupies surrounding her, the Ice Queen using a Post-um pad to write out notes as she made her way to where Ukyo stood under an elm tree. Once the yellow notes were in the hands of her assistants, they left with expressions of glee. By the time Nabiki reached the martial artist cook, her 'employees' where gone, "Ready, Ukyo-chan?"

Ukyo nodded and fell into step with Nabiki, "I have a feeling you haven't told me everything."

"Ne-ne I told you exactly what you asked for," Nabiki's brown eyes show her amusement, "no more and no less."

"Yare-yare, so if I want to get more information from you," Ukyo's eyes narrow, "I'd have to pay through the nose for it ne?"

"I don't know if that booty is up for sale," Nabiki noticed the shocked look on the taller teenager, "a girl sometimes needs to weigh the benefits of a quick profit versus investing in the future for a bigger payout."

It took several minutes for Ukyo to untangle Nabiki's reasoning, "You mean if you sell the information I'm asking for, its value will go down later?"

"Sort of..." Nabiki shrugged, "I could make a tidy profit by milking money from you, Ukyo-chan," the two passed the channel and Doctor Tofu's clinic, "but the problem here is if I did sell this information to you, it would mean the control of such information would pass from me and my family to you."

From all of her training and learning of the way of a martial artist, Ukyo recognized a statement of honor being made here, but what surprised her was Nabiki was making this statement, "You're not known as someone who cares much for family honor, Nabiki-senpai, so what's the beef?"

"Wheels within wheels within wheels, Ukyo-chan," the pair approached the main gate to the Tendo compound, the old dojo sign next to the entrance, "use too much oil and the wheels will lose traction and slip, use too little oil and the wheels will grind and break. Just the right amount of oil will keep the wheels working in peak condition wa."

Ukyo blinked at Nabiki's reasoning. For the most part the cross-dressing teenager thought of Nabiki as a yakaza-type, not as something even remotely like her, a young business owner. Then there is the usage of an example in a manner alien to the tall girl, which made Ukyo feel slightly intimidated, "Which means na?"

"You're find out, Ukyo-chan," Nabiki grinned wide.

As the twosome entered the compound, Ukyo paused for a second just inside the gate. There stood Ranma practicing martial arts wearing a very tight lime green halter-top and teal short-shorts, no big deal. Then her eyes go wide when it hit her, "Nani!"

Indeed the redhead is practicing martial arts, on her crutches. Nabiki enjoyed the shocked expression on Ukyo's face as they both watched the blue blur of Ranma's cast leg held so it can't touch anything, the girl using the crutches to swing in leg sweeps, spins on her one good foot and back flips along with combination of other moves.

"I see you created a new technique," Nabiki intoned, "Martial Arts Crutches."

"Wha' can I say," Ranma barely out of breath, "I'm bored thanks to Tofu-sensei's orders..." she looked over at Nabiki and spotted her friend, "Uu-chan!"

"Ran-chan!" Ukyo glared at Nabiki, "Nabi-chan, you didn't tell me Ranma was hurt wa yo?"

"You didn't ask," Nabiki's expression spoke smartass, "you know I don't give away anything free, except on an occasional whim."

It wasn't the first time Ukyo felt like a fool, the martial arts cook knew she wasn't the only one to get nab by the mercenary girl. Instead she turned to greet Ranma, who moved at a good pace toward them, "Oh, Nabiki-chan, you're right about Kasumi's lessons," her grin sparkled, "I never knew how great it felt to..." her baby blues glanced to her oldest friend, "ano...you know what."

"Ne-ne," Nabiki waved her hand across her face, "I figured the bounce in your step was coming from some good vibrations."

"Tell me," Ranma baby blues flashed, her cheeks flush from more than doing a new routine, then she turned to Ukyo, "Uu-chan, are you okay ne?"

Ukyo couldn't miss the plain gold ring on Ranma's hand, deep down she had hopped Nabiki was pulling her leg, "Married wa?"

Ranma couldn't miss the heartbreak in her friend's eyes, nodding, "Sumimasen."

A burst of laughter came out of Ukyo's mouth, sounding so painful even to Nabiki's ears, "Who am I fooling," the cute teenager rubbed her eyes to hide the tears, "I'm sure my behavior at the wedding pretty sealed my fate wa."

Ukyo's laughter stopped when Ranma grip her right shoulder, "Com' with me, Uu-chan. Me and Momma want to ask you something?"

The touch of Ranma upon Ukyo still had an effect on her, making her want to feel more of the redhead against her. She shook her head to get rid of those daydreams, "Why would you want to have anything to do with me after what I've done ne?"

Letting her crutches to rest on the inside of her armpits, Ranma gripped Ukyo's other shoulder, holding them both, "Cause you're my oldest buddy, Uu-chan," she leaned forward, letting her baby blues fill the long-haired teen's gaze, "and best buds have misunderstandings, even fights with each other, but they help out when the chips are down da."

Ukyo felt her broken heart melt, those lake blue orbs making her feel so feminine inside, "Ran-chan, I...I have feelings for you."

Ranma squeezed Ukyo's shoulders, "It's just a crush, Uu-chan," the redhead grinned, "remember how much you wanted my ass in a sling 'fore you came to Nerima da?"

Ukyo nodded, remembering when she was child, how much her classmates teased her for wearing boy clothes, saying she was too much like a boy to be a girl. How those words wounded her so much and how much she plead for her father to allow her to wear girl clothes. Then came Genma with little Ranma. How Ranma didn't call her names and how Ranma treated her as best buddy. They playing together, even practicing martial arts as little ones do, pretending more than anything. Ukyo remembered her father saying he gave the okonomiyuki cart to Genma in return Ukyo would go with them on the training mission. Ukyo's heart burst with joy, no more name calling, no more throwing rocks at those teasing brats. She was going to be with Ranma and his father, be with her best friend forever.

Then came the soul-sheering pain as she watched Genma run away pulling the cart, Ranma waving at her from the top of it, Ukyo's small legs kept her from catching up to them. The pain grew inside of her, grew into hate with each day the assault of words from other children. The hatred grew and grew until Genma and Ranma became the source of all of Ukyo's suffering, the targets of her vengeance. Her cross-dressing became her badge of honor, a symbol of her goal, and her way to gain the training she needed to be a martial arts cook. Her thirst for revenge was wetted when she beat the hell out of Genma, but it all vanished when Ranma said two words. A simple statement, one she thought no one would tell her. Her hatred bloomed into happiness at being told she was a cute.

"Hai...just a crush..." Ukyo blinked, remembering how she first found out about Ranma's curse, "Ran-chan, you still a girl," her eyes glanced down at the blue cast on her friend's right foot, "the cast...your ankle ka?"

"Things happened," Ranma sighed a little, letting go of Ukyo's shoulders, "so please come da."

Ukyo nodded, following Ranma and Nabiki as the threesome made their way to the main house, "Can I ask how your foot got hurt wa?"

"Mousse," Ranma glanced over her shoulder, her reply got Ukyo to catch up with them, "he sent a challenge, saying he held Akane captive at an abandoned school. I should've known better, Akane can kick Mousse's ass, but I fell for it jus' the same," her baby blues sparkle with angry, "and the school was a death trap, a maze of traps and ambushes na."

Ukyo's eyes widen, "Kuso..."

"I beat them, the traps and the ambushes," Ranma smile coldly, "but Mousse must've had his feathers ruffled. He blew-up the school furnace, bringing most of the school down on top of us da."

This wasn't the first time Ranma survived a labyrinth of death nor one of Mousse's attempt to get rid of his supposed rival, so Xian Po would turn her attention to the be-speckled boy, but this was the first time Mousse had gone this far. Ukyo let out a whistle, "Your ankle got hurt then ne?"

"Ee," Ranma acknowledged, "but I messed up 'cause Akane was there too. She told me later she found the challenge note in the trash can," the redhead's hands clinched, "I should've ate it."

This wasn't the first time Akane ended up in a death maze, but the look on Ranma's face meant more, "Akane got hurt wa?"

"I thought she'd died," they reached the front door, where Nabiki slid it open, listening to Ranma's recalling of events, some of it she hadn't heard before, "we all did."

"But she wasn't ne?" Ukyo fought down her hopes, knowing they were false, already knowing the happy ending of this story.

"Hai, according to Tofu-sensei, Akane got such a whack on her skull it caused her to look dead," Ranma touched her left cheek as she hobbled through the entrance, "she woke up in the middle of the funeral, slapped my face, called me stupid for thinkin' her dead, saying I should've known better."

Despite her warring emotions, Ukyo giggled, touching her lips, "Sounds like the funeral matched the wedding."

"Hai," Nabiki smiled as she closed the door behind them, "especially since it was Ranma slipping the wedding ring on Sleeping Beauty's finger that woke her up."

"Yare-yare," Ranma blushed at Nabiki's reminder, taking off her footwear along with the others, Ukyo leaning her fighting spatula against one wall. "Akane is up in her room, sedated by Tofu-sensei so she'll stay in bed," Ranma told her friend while she led the group toward the living room, "and I've been discussing a few things with Momma and Kasumi."

"The birds and the bees," Nabiki smirked, causing Ranma's blush to deepen.

"Tadaima!" The three girls announced their presence just before entering the living room.

Nodoka sat at the chabudai with Kasumi at her right hand, sharing tea and a few cookies, "Okaeri!" the older females greeted the group. "I see you have brought home a guest," Nodoka commented.

"This is Kuonji Ukyo," Ranma put her crutches on the floor and hopped on one leg down to the low table, "Uu-chan, this is my mother, Nodoka," she slipped her lower body under the table.

"Konnichiwa, Ukyo-san," Nodoka stood, gracefully bowed to the teenager, "I'm glad you are here, please sit with us."

Ukyo glanced at Nabiki, a curious look on her face, before she bowed to Nodoka, "Konnichiwa, Nodoka-san." She sat next to Ranma, while Nabiki sat on the other side of the martial arts cook.

Nodoka returned to her seat, "Ukyo-san, has Ranma or Nabiki told you what has occurred recently?"

"Only a little," having seen Nodoka only a few times, she was still surprised by how youthful Ranma's mother was, how the mother dark red hair made her look like a older version of Ranma's girl form.

Girl form?

Like a bolt, Ukyo realized Ranma looked different now. The redhead was almost as tall as the martial arts cook. Even under the baggy pants and shirt she wore when practicing the Art, the curves of her female body was more defined and packed than before. Then Ranma's hair was the just as dark ruby color much like Nodoka. The tall teenager reached, touching the middle of her friend's pigtail, "Ran-chan?"

"I don't have the drown girl curse anymore," Ranma saw the shock in Ukyo's eyes, "I'm fully female da."

"How?" Ukyo couldn't stop from caressing Ranma's left cheek with one fingertip, as if the redhead was an illusion, which would crumble if touched.

"I choose it." Ranma broke eye contact with Ukyo, which got Nabiki's attention, "I grew tired of all the crap happenin' to me, an' except for Xian Po it all 'cause I was a guy." Ukyo's face turned pale, "Iie! Not you, Uu-chan or the other girls," Ranma waved her hands frantically at her old friend, "It's all the shit Oyaji dumped on me," she looked down so her eyes wouldn't accuse anyone there, "I din't show it, I suppose to be a man amongst men, but it got to me. This is suppose to be the best years for me, wha' some call Glory Days. I couldn't do any fun guy stuff. Instead Oyaji made my 'manliness' a straight jacket!"

Ukyo felt her heart go out to Ranma, she moved her hand down and put it on top of Ranma's hand, giving it a squeeze, "I'll tell you, Ran-chan, being a girl isn't easy either na."

"You aren't whistling Dixie there, Ukyo-chan," Ranma glanced at Nabiki, noticing a wolfish touch to the smile of the speaker.

"I know," Ranma looked up, letting her gaze touch on each woman there, "but what's done is done. I wanna get on with my life, and the only good thing that came out of all the shit Oyaji did, was the arranged marriage between Akane and me. We're hitched and its gonna stay tha' way."

"I guess the idiom is true," Nabiki commented, "about a broken clock being right twice a day."

"Which brings us back to you, Ukyo-san," the martial artist cook turned to Nodoka, Ukyo found Nodoka majestic in her elegant kimono, "tell me, what sort of relationship do you have with your father."

"That notarin!" Ukyo spitted out the words "He sold me to his drinking buddy, an A-hole he barely knew," anger radiated from the teenager, "what sort of relationship do you think I had with him?"

"A bad one?" Nabiki ventured.

"Pinpoon!" The nasty look on Ukyo's face robbed the word of its usual playful sound, "I haven't seen him in ten years."

"Kami-sama..." Nodoka was stunned, "your father abandoned you ka?"

"My father sold me to Ranma's fucked up father," Ukyo's voice dripped acid, "my real father considered his duty to me was over once the deal was made. He didn't care..." Ukyo looked down at the pressure she felt from her right hand, saw Ranma gently squeezing it, the cross-dresser realizing she was crying, "he...he didn't care the bald riceball left me behind."

"I do care," the room suddenly feeling chilly, Nodoka drew out her katana hidden in her kimono and lay it on the table between her and Ukyo, "I will honor the agreement made between Genma and your father, Ukyo-san, if you will accept me as the honoree."

"Nani?" It was Ukyo's turn to look stunned.

"Ranma has chosen as part of the marriage agreement to change her name and become a Tendo," Nodoka clarified, "and because of Genma's stupidity, I am no longer legally married to him, since in the eyes of the government, he is dead."

Ukyo felt giddy inside at Genma's 'death', "So there is justice in the world wa yo!"

"Hai..." a wicked smile on Nabiki's lips, "with all of Genma's chickens coming the roost here, the biggest hen laid an elephant egg on the furball."

Nodoka coughed a little, keeping her reaction to the expletives being used mild, "I'm moving in here to take over the duties of housekeeping while Kasumi is going to high school, since I am certain she will easily pass the entry exam."

"What of your home?" Ukyo found things changing at a dizzy pace.

"I'm selling it and giving the money as a dowry for Ranma," Nodoka smiled sweetly at her daughter, "since Akane's dowry is the dojo, I'm hoping the additional money will revive it," her eyes moved to each of the Tendo sisters, "with help from the rest of her family."

"And how do I fit in ne?" Ukyo pointed at herself.

"As I said, I would like to honor the agreement reached between my former husband and your former father," empathy showing in Nodoka's soulful eyes, "at least in spirit. Since Ranma is going to become a Tendo, I plan to file papers at Nerima City Hall to allow me to return to my maiden name. My family is bushi and very old, but due to recent events, that bloodline is down to a single member, me. I want to save it from extinction and I need a heir to help me."

"HAI!" Ukyo's heart thundered as loud as her shout, leaning upon the low table, hands spread wide on top.

Nodoka blinked owlishly, "You know what I'm asking?"

"Gomen," Ukyo blushed, she used the back of her hand to try get her eyes dry, "you were about to ask me to be your heir ne?"

"Hai," Nodoka nodded, "what I'm asking of you won't be an easy task. In the pass ten years, I have inherited several holdings, most of them scattered throughout Japan and they will require much time for me and my heir to examine them, see which ones to keep and which ones to sell."

Ukyo saw how serious Nodoka was being, "I'll be your heir. I don't have a family. The money I used to set up my eatery I won in cooking contests."

"You will be more than my heir, Ukyo-san," Nodoka smiled, "you will be my daughter as well," her gaze shifted to Ranma, "when I first met Ranma as Tendo Ranko, it stirred an old desire, a longing for a daughter." Her eyes returned to the tall teenager, "I know you are not the most feminine of girls, Ukyo-san, and I have no desire for you to be a girl amongst girls," her expression showing amusement before becoming serious once more, "I realized such idealized imaginings are poison. I want a chance to correct a great wrong done to you, I want to give you the love and care missing from your life."

A touch on her left elbow drew Ukyo to look at Nabiki, the Tendo sister offering a handkerchief. The longhaired teen took it, nodding her gratitude. Quickly she rubbed her eyes dry of unshed tears of joy, before she smiled wide, bowing deeply to Nodoka, "Domo arigato gozaimasu!"

A strong but feminine body hugged Ukyo, a glow of happiness flowering within the martial artist cook, "Welcome to the family, Uu-chan." Then Nodoka came around the table to join in the hug, causing Ukyo's glow to grow. It wasn't the way Ukyo thought she would be joining this family, not as Ranma's sister, but for once, her joy wasn't a soap bubble.

"By the way, Nodoka-san," Nabiki's money-making gleam was in her eyes, "just what will be your family name wa?"

Nodoka frowned at Nabiki, finding it a little bit in poor taste to ask such a question at this happy moment, "It is a cadet branch of a even older bushi family, the founding ancestor was a bastard, who rose to the rank of daimyo. The family name is Kunojo."

"NANI!"

"Oya maa."

"No wonder there is a fixation on swords," Nabiki observed.

Ranma sat in a chair next to Akane's bed, the redhead grinning as her wife as both enjoying the moment of Ranma feeding Akane with takoyaki, creamy miso soup, hard-boiled egg salad and barbecue pork strips.

Tofu-sensei made a call earlier, exam Akane and decided she could eat more solid food and be allowed to cut down on the sedative dosage, telling his patients Akane was recovering surprisingly fast from her concussion, but he did require her to stay in bed another day. The good doctor exam Ranma's ankle, declaring her ankle was healing as well despite the abuse it had suffered, but the teenager would still need to wear the inflated case and use the crutches for the rest of the week.

"It is good you are getting better, Akane," Ranma moved the tray with the empty dishes to her wife's study desk.

"Ne," Akane sipped her mug of tea, a playful smile on her lips, "getting antsy waiting to enjoy our wedding bed?" A full flush of Ranma's face was Akane's answer, "Or has Kasumi began her," staged cough, "pillow lessons with you?"

Ranma laughed nervously, pulling the chair closer to the head of Akane's bed, "How do you know ne?"

"I heard a very loud, very feminine squeal come from the furo," Akane's eyes looked over the rim of her mug, "and it wasn't a painful scream either." The tip of her tongue licked the edge of it, "and it didn't belong to either of my sisters, I know how they sound when they rariru, when they flip out."

Ranma's eyes were as wide as lakes, a tingle between her thighs came from both Akane's words and the action of her licking tongue, "Maa...Nabiki suggested I should let Kasumi teach me about the birds and the bees, instead of Momma," her hands touched her knees, not noticing she was leaning towards her wife, "and Momma agreed."

A naughty look showed in Akane's dark eyes, "Mine is in a locked drawer at the bottom of my desk."

Ranma knew what Akane meant by mine, "Kasumi let me borrow her beginner and one of her," her words became a whisper, "little vibrators."

"The egg one?"

"Hai..."

"How did it feel?"

"It blew my mind."

"Hadn't you masturbate as a boy?"

"Oyaji told me it would make me blind."

"Baka."

"You said it."

Ranma didn't realize she leaned all the way down, her face a couple of inches from Akane's face, their breaths blending together, warmly caressing their faces, "There are more lessons to come."

"I hope so. I need to catch up with you."

"Flatterer."

"I mean it. Kasumi opened my eyes about how little I knew about being a real fulltime girl."

"Baka."

Who kissed who first wasn't the issue nor did both girls care, both hearts lit up at the soft caress of lips press together, noses touching, Akane's hands on Ranma's shoulders, Ranma's hands pressing to the bed on each side of her beloved chest. After the first kiss, a couple of more came, each just as sweet, each just as sexy.

"I see you have new pajamas," Akane panted as their lips part.

"Momma selected them," the crimson silk shined in the light, "Nabiki took me and her on a shopping spree for new clothes."

"They feel really good on you."

"I was a little hesitate about them, but once I got them on, they feel so good against my skin."

The kisses came again, this time a little more passionate, some nibbling and sucking of lips.

"Did Ukyo accept Nodoka's offer wa?" A little heavier breathing from Akane.

"Hai...Ukyo jumped at the offer."

"Good for her, I like Ukyo a lot."

"Ukyo was alone for so long, treated as an outcast even by her own family. Even I had Oyaji so at least I wasn't alone like her."

"Hai, a person without a family is horrible."

"I was surprised when Momma told us her maiden name."

"So ka?"

"Kunojo."

"You don't mean?"

"Cadet branch of the Kuno clan, dating back to the Warring States period."

"So you and Nodoka and now Ukyo?"

"Very-very distant relations to those Knuo nutcases."

"I'm glad you are now a Tendo."

"Baka."

"Guilty as charged."

It only took a gentle pull from Akane to get Ranma to lay next to her on the bed, the redhead's hands softy stroking her lover's hair, the dark-haired teenager gently caressing her lover's arms from elbow to wrists.

A tap came from the bedroom door, "Are you finished?"

"I'll bring the tray and dishes down in the morning, Onee," Ranma eyes stayed on Akane's face.

"Onee?'

"Kasumi insisted."

"Kasumi always did think of you are her little brother-sister."

"Now I am."

"Remember you two are wounded warriors," Nabiki voice came from the other side of the door, "so no handcuffs or whips."

"Oneechan," Akane rolled her eyes at the further interruption, "I'm not Kodachi wa yo!"

Muffled giggles came from the other side of the door, before fading footfalls told of the departure of Kasumi and Nabiki. Akane and Ranma returned to kissing, the redhead surprised and then moan when Akane's tongue slid into her mouth, caressing her mate's tongue.

Ranma heard a soft sigh from Akane, the redhead detected her wife's body sag, "Are you okay?" Ranma carefully slid to one side of Akane, but holding her with both hands.

"The food and meds caught up with me," Akane's snuggled against Ranma's upper chest, "could we sleep like this tonight," she rubbed her right cheek against the silk top of Ranma's pajamas, "you not sleeping at the foot of our bed?" Ranma nodded, slipping under the bedcovers without untangling from Akane. The tomboy sighed happily, "When is Nodoka moving in wa?"

"Officially not until the home is sold," Ranma pitched her voice down to a whisper, "tomorrow me, Momma, Ukyo and Nabiki go down to city hall and register the home for sale, record our marriage, adopt Ukyo and change my name."

"So you will be Tendo Ranma?"

"I decided on Tendo Ran."

"Orchid instead of Wild Horse?" a tiny smile on Akane's lips, her eyes now close.

"Hai, I figured a girl called Wild Horse migh' sound too manly. I also didn't wanna use Ranko, 'cause I feel pretty bad about using it to trick Momma."

"Don't the Americans have a saying about turning a silk purse out of a sow's ear?"

"Don't say that around Ryoga or Akari, after all she is trying to do that to the Lost Boy."

"Good," Akane's warm breath played across Ranma's neck, "now I don't have to pretend to blow my stack about Ryoga being P-chan." A little giggle came from Akane when she felt Ranma stiffen against her, "Hai, I know the dirty little secret everyone was keeping from me."

"When?"

"It happened just before the whole thing with the Phoenix King," Akane's left fingertips caress the edge of Ranma's neck, "you were at the movies with Hiroshi and Daisuke. I was suppose to meet you at the theater but I got ambushed by Kodachi, using one of her poisons to paralyze me and dragged me off to the Kuno compound." Akane snuggled more to Ranma when she her mate's arms tighten, "Ryoga came to save me but got hit by a water balloon by that rose throwing cunt. I thought the croc was going to eat Ryoga, but out of the pool came P-chan and rammed himself into Kodachi's stomach, knocking the wind out of her, which caused her to fall back and hit her head on a rock."

Ranma kissed Akane's forehead at the hairline, "Sending her into dreamland?"

A shiver ran through Ranma when Akane's nodded, her lips brushing against one of Ranma's nipples through her pajama top, "Hai...P-chan chewed through the ropes."

"So you put two and two together."

"Not at first," Akane sounded like a sleepy cat who just had a canary, "I rushed to the pool, expecting a pool of blood and body parts. What I found was a disappointed croc. I stared at the croc for I don't know how long before it dawned on me. Ryoga wouldn't abandon me to Kodachi, his code of honor wouldn't let him. It was then I turned to P-chan with new eyes."

"I'm surprised I didn't smell bacon frying when I got home from the movies."

"I'm sure Ryoga was thinking the same thing," Ranma shivered against, this time the redhead was sure Akane's lips rubbing against one of her nipples wasn't an accident, "but I came up with a different sort of punishment."

"So ka?"

"Remember for about two weeks I kept everyone out of my room?"

"Hai, I remember Nabiki was making all sorts of snide remarks about what you were doing in your bedroom."

"I kept P-chan in a cage barely bigger than his body and made sure no hot water got close to him," sweet torture was being practiced by Akane's left hand lazily cupping Ranma's right breast, "then I would strip in front of him every chance I got and spend hours in the nude."

"So that is what Nabiki meant by nudist camp."

A little buzz of giggles from Akane caused Ranma to shiver as the sound was fed into her nipple, "I lost count the number of blushes, nosebleeds and fainting spells Ryoga went through before I took pity and decided he suffered enough."

"That was big of you."

Ranma couldn't stop a tiny moan when Akane's lightly squeezed the redhead's right breast, "I told Akari about it and she promised me to make sure Ryoga would be too busy to be a Peeping Tom anymore."

"Don't you miss P-chan?"

"Hai..." Akane yawned, her body sagging even more in Ranma's embrace, "but I got someone much better than a pet to snuggle with."

Ranma kisses Akane on the forehead, "Goodnight."

"Night..."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Gotta Knock A Little Harder

With a few phone calls, Nabiki arranged for her employees at school to collect notes, assignments and tape the teachers the two Tendo and sister-in-law Ranma would need, the mercenary girl giving her standard excuse for her absence, which strangely or maybe not so strange the school staff accepted without questions.

Nabiki peeked into the bedroom of the newly wedded couple, grinning at the how Akane's arm had slipped under Ranma's pajama top, while one of the redhead's hands had slipped to the youngest sister's bottom.

"Kawaii.."

Nabiki turned to the source of the whispered voice, "I was hoping for less clothes and more skin, Oneechan."

"We both know Ranma is a gentle...gentlewoman, who wouldn't tax Akane's endurance, especially in her condition."

"I'm still curious about how Ranma's curse was changed."

"Ranma will tell us in her own time."

Ranma licked her lips, cracked her eyes open, "Onee...Nabiki-chan...you two as bad as Happousi," she looked at Akane, who was still slumbering, "what time is it?"

"We got plenty of time," Nabiki answered, "I'm going to brush my teeth."

"I will have Akane's tray ready for you to take up to her, Ranma-chan," Kasumi slid the door closed.

Ranma looked at Akane's face, enjoying the soothing look on her face, before realizing where her mate's hand was resting under the redhead's pajama top, "And she called me pervert," then her baby blues go wide when she noticed where her own hand was located, "maybe our subconscious are na?"

Ranma tried to move, but a whimper came from Akane, "Iie...stay here...nice teat..." the redhead shivered at the slight fingering of her right nipple.

"Akane-chan," Ranma moved her hand from her lover's rear, stroking her back, "are you hungry?"

"For you..." the sign of movement under Ranma's pajama top where Akane's hand was located, "yummy."

"Yare-yare, you know Tofu-sensei said we had to wait."

"Spoilsport."

"I'm sure we can soon."

"Hope so...stuck in bed...dribbling...so boring."

Ranma blushed and finally slipped out of bed, pulling her pajama top firmly down, noticing the teasing expression on Akane's face, despite her eyes close, "Is it normal for Tendo girls to be so horny?"

Akane giggled, opened her eyes, "I did wait until I was married like a proper girl," her dark eyes shining, "I just want what is due me from my lovely groom."

"I don't know, some might think I'm the bride and you're the groom," Ranma leaned down, kissing Akane's lips, "Tomboy."

"Womanizer."

Gorilla girl."

"Harem owner."

Another loving kiss ended the playful name-calling, allowing Ranma to slip out of the bedroom on her crutches. Nabiki grinned at the sight of the redhead doing handstands on her wooden legs as she made her way down the stairs, "Going to start offering Martial Arts Crutches ne?"

"You know me, Nabiki-chan, I never do anything easy," Ranma righted herself once on the bottom floor, "besides I need to be able to use these things for more than walking."

Nibiki blinked, "Nani?"

"Xain Poo and the two Kuno coconuts," Ranma reminded Nabiki.

"I see what you mean," Nabiki frowned, "and Kuno hasn't bothered me about either you or Akane."

"I doubt that is going to last for much longer," Ranma began to make his way across the living room to the kitchen, this time using the crutches as she should.

"Agreed," Nabiki wearing a dark purple business suit, with a stickpin in her purple and black necktie, "the Kuno family has quite of bit of influence with city hall."

"So you believe your old boyfriend is going to be there?" Kasumi asked, placing the traditional Japanese breakfast on the kitchen table while the pair sat.

Ranma's jaw dropped, "Oneechan, that was a long time ago," Nabiki's tone showed she was very annoyed at Kasumi, "we haven't been an item since Kuno's mother died."

There was a shared look of sadness between the two sister, Ranma decided to change the subject, "Onee, I think you're going to need to keep a close eye on Akane," the redhead accepted a bowl of rice from Kasumi, "she is getting antsy and might try to sneak out of her room."

"Akane was always like that," Kasumi joined Ranma and Nabiki at the table, "even when she was sick, I had a hard time keeping her in bed," she poured the tea for them, "only Tofu-sensei could keep her in check."

"Barely," Nabiki popped a boiled quail egg in her mouth, "you think Akane is a tomboy now. She was a bigger one when she was little."

Ranma nodded, took a sip of her miso soup, "How's the plan for the dojo expansion going ka?"

"The plan should be ready by the end of this week," Nabiki nibbled a piece of fish, "what we are doing today will get the ball rolling."

"Which reminds me," Ranma looked at the kitchen clock, "we're to meet Momma and Ukyo here or at city hall?"

"Here," Kasumi replied, "it was a good idea for Nodoka and Ukyo to spend the night together, getting to know each other and Ukyo calling sweet Kotastu so he wouldn't worry about his employer."

"You think Kotastu will catch Ukyo on the bounce?" Ranma watched Kasumi add cream to her tea.

"Hard to say," Nabiki replied, "when she first got here I did a background check on her," the middle sister reached into her purse, pulling out a tiny notebook with Ukyo's name on it. After a few seconds, she said, "Ukyo's mother died in childbirth, the father owns a chain of eateries in Kyoto and has a family there. I sent a letter to him to let him know Ukyo was in Nerima, he replied he had no daughter named Ukyo."

Ranma's chopsticks broke in her right hand, her eyes flashing with anger, "Usunoro".

"Ukyo stayed at a Catholic orphanage in Nagasaki after Genma abandoned her and went to the Catholic junior high school there, where she excelled," Nabiki turned pages as she talked, "her IQ tests show she has genius intelligence, but her social skills were non-existent, with a note in her file about her refusal to wear the girls uniform, opting for the boys uniform. The psychologist at the orphanage wrote about a seething rage within the young Ukyo and believed it was caused by her abandonment and the verbal abused she suffered in elementary school in Kyoto."

"A Catholic orphanage?" Ranma munched on a piece of her grilled fish.

"Of the Christian organizations in Japan, the Catholic Church is the largest and the most organized," Kasumi answered for her sister, "going back to the seventeenth century, when Jesuit priests brought the religion to Japan."

"Uaa?" Ranma expressed her surprise by Kasumi's knowledge, "Onee, you studied them?"

"Western medicine was brought here by the Jesuits," a dainty smile on Kasumi's lips, "so the Catholic Church is a part of my studies," a slip of her tea, "even with the prosecution of Christians during the Shoganate and the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War Two, the Catholic Church is a thriving entity in Japan, with churches, charities, orphanages and schools. In fact, its success has spurred reforms in Shinto in an attempt to counter not only the Catholic success but also the success of other Christian groups as well as cults that mix Christian, Islam, Buddhist and Shinto together, like the Shinning Path."

Ranma nodded slowly, trying to look like she understood what Kasumi told them. Kasumi grinned, "Now back on the main subject," she looked at her own writing, "Ukyo best classes were Physical Education and Home Economics, especially cooking and was so good in Japanese traditional cooking, she won contests, worked at festivals and dinners for visiting dignitaries."

"I remember Ukyo telling me she went to martial arts cooking...Oi!" Ranma jumped at a firm handclasp upon her right shoulder.

"I've been sneezing all the way here," Kasumi giggled at Ukyo's remark, the tall girl and Nodoka seeming to appear like magic. Ukyo spotted and snatched Nabiki's notebook, "Oh...someone did a little ninja work." The tall teenager quickly paged through the little black book. Nabiki giving her big sister a dirty look, the middle sister sure Kasumi saw the newcomers entering the kitchen behind her and Ranma, "I will say all of this is true...Un...Mother Superior said that of me? I always thought she thought of me as a violent tomboy." Ukyo was wearing a black male kimono with white kanji of the Kunojo clan on the right shoulder, "Dekashita, Nabi-chan," she complimented Kasumi before giving the notebook to Nodoka, "Here, Okachan."

Ranma grinned at the way Ukyo addressed Nodoka, "You look naked, Uu-chan."

"Nani?" Ukyo looked herself over before she noticed Ranma's baby blues was looking where the handle of her king-sized spatula would be visible, "You mean my Ichimonji, Ran-chan," she chuckled softly, "I figured security at city hall would get nervous at seeing it slung on my back."

"To say the least," Nabiki sounding a little soared due to the loss of her little black book.

"Oi...what's this, Uu-chan?" Nodoka pointed at an entry in the purloined notebook.

"So ka?" Ukyo looked at the entry, before smiling, "Hai, its true. I'm Christian," her amusement touching her dark eyes, "although Mother Superior always called me her wayward lamb."

"Kohitsuji?" Nabiki grinned like a cat getting squirted milk from a cow's teat.

"Hitsu-chan according to your notes," Nodoka answered, while Ukyo rolled her eyes.

"I much prefer Uu-chan," the tall teenager got a bad feeling as Nabiki's grin grew.

"I better take Akane's breakfast up to her," Ranma finished her food and stood up.

"Can I come, Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked, her fingers fidgeting, "I could carry the tray for you."

Ranma glanced at Nodoka, who smiled, "Okay." Ukyo accepted the tray with the breakfast on it, Kasumi smiling at her. The pair left the kitchen and headed up the stairs, "You're getting good on those crutches, Ran-chan."

"Tofu-sensei is absolute about me staying on them," Ranma curled her legs so their heels touched the nap of her neck, using only the crutches to go up the stairs.

"Pretty flexible even with the inflated case on one leg," Ukyo kept her voice cheery.

As Ranma was about to knock on the door, Akane called out, "At last! I thought I was going to starve."

Ranma slid the door open, "So I'm a bad wife, starving her poor hubby," Ranma smiled, hobbling into the room, "but I did bring a visitor."

"Uu-chan!" Akane smiled as Ukyo stepped inside, "You look so dashing."

"Arigato," Ukyo blushed at the comment. She gave the tray to Ranma once the redhead was seated, "You look good, Aka-chan."

Ukyo fidgeted as she stood, Akane smiled, patted the bed, "Please sit with us, Uu-chan. After all, you're going to be Ranma's sister."

A sensation of warmth replaced Uyko's awkward feeling, the tall teenager sat on the bed by Akane's knees, "I'm sorry about what happened at the wedding."

"I don't blame you for that, Uu-chan," Akane bit into a rice ball, pickled red cabbage filling in the center, "we all fell for Nabiki's schemes."

"Ditto," Ranma agreed.

"I'll bet you have butterflies in your stomach," Akane quickly finished off the rice ball.

"It's better than what I felt yesterday," Ukyo smiled at her friend, "at noon I thought I lost my only chance for a family, but I found another chance offered to me on a silver platter."

"Good," Akane's winked at them, "I was worried I was going to lose my only friend from Ranma's harem."

Ranma rolled her eyes, Ukyo chuckling, "You did lose a friend but you got a sister-in-law in return."

Akane sipped some of her miso soup before eating some grilled perch held by Ranma with chopsticks, "You going to keep the okonomiyaki shop ne?"

"I thought to at first," Ukyo watched how much affection showed in the newlyweds eyes for each other, "but after what Nodoka told me about Ranma's plans last night, I'm thinking of closing the shop and using my savings to help with the expansion of dojo, if it is alright with you two?"

Akane smiled, nodding, while Ranma grinned, "Sure, more the merrier," the redhead, turned to Ukyo, "Could you take over, Uu-chan. I gotta dress-up for city hall."

Ukyo nodded, accepted the tray and held it on one bent knee so Akane could reach the food, "I figured Nodoka will need help with the cooking and cleaning should the dojo really take off, since Kasumi is going back to school."

"Kotastu can come too," Akane enjoyed the showing off of Ranma's sexy body once the pajamas are off.

Ukyo grinned, "Helping Cupid are you, Aka-chan?"

"We all know Kotastu has the hots for you, Uu-chan," Ranma hopped over to the new dresser added to the room, getting out a pair of blue silk panties and matching bra, "and you're both are cross-dressers."

"Maybe..." Ukyo looked down a little, "I need to first take care of what is on my dish before getting second helpings," the martial arts cook smiled when Akane's right hand squeezed her hand, "besides the adoption, helping Nodoka with all the family holdings and school, I won't have time to dip my toe into anything romantic with Kotastu." Ukyo looked over her shoulder, blinking owlishly at the outfit Ranma was putting on, peach blouse with ruffles at the cuffs, neck and down the middle, dark orange vest and mini-skirt, "Very kawaii, Ran-chan."

"Hai," Ranma sighed, although her old expression of wearing anything girly wasn't there, "Momma picked it out for me specifically for the city hall appointment," she hopped back to the bed with a peach stocking and one black heelless shoes, "I'm surprised she didn't try it with her."

"I said no, told her it was a matter of honor," Ukyo told them while Akane finished the remains of her breakfast, "so she got out this kimono," she motioned with one hand, "Nodoka said it belonged to your...our grandfather, a family heirloom," she grinned, "I like it."

"Looks really good on y..." Akane burped, causing the others to giggle, "gomen...really does," she blushed.

Ranma slipped on the peach stocking, the shoe and stood up on one leg, "How I look wa?"

"Peach ice cream ready to be licked," Ukyo teased.

"Yare-yare," Ranma giggled before putting on the white Easter bonnet, adding to her cuteness.

"It looks really nice on you, Ranma-chan," Akane took two caplets of her meds with a glass of water.

"Oi, by tonight I'll be Tendo Ran," Ranma came back to the bed.

Ranma kissed Akane softly on the lips, the bedridden teen kissing back, gently rubbing mouths together, "You two are so lucky to have each other," a tone of envy from Ukyo.

"You're find your Prince Charming, Uu-chan," Akane grinned, "I'm lucky my rode in on a panda."

The three giggled as Ranma and Ukyo departed.

Location: Nerima City Hall, Nerima, Tokyo

If a casual onlooker or a tourist walked by Nerima City Hall, he or she might have thought a couple and their relatives had come to get a marriage certificate. The redheaded girl looked so cute in the peach-colored outfit, a sympathetic feeling might be felt at the sight of the blue inflated case on her right foot and the crutches she was using. Next to her stood a taller teenager in a black kimono with long black hair and dashing features. With them was an older woman wearing an elegant kimono and another teenage girl wearing a plum-colored business suit with one hand holding a briefcase, wearing a dark purple business suit, one obviously the mother of one of the couple while the other could be a witness, maybe even a lawyer.

Ranma's eyes look about as the group neared the front entrance, causing Nodoka to ask, "Looking for someone, Ranma-chan."

"Okasan, me and Uu-chan," her gaze shifting to the roofs, "some of the students at our school are weirdoes."

"Oi, especially the captain of the kendo team and his little sister," Ukyo was showing the same alertness, "their father is the principal at Fuurinkan High School."

"The sister goes to Saint Bacchus's School For Girls," Nabiki clarified as the glass doors slid open automatically.

"My old school," Nodoka sounded pleased, "then you are talking about the twins, Kuno Tatewaki and his sister, Kodachi. I was in the same homeroom as their mother and Akane's mother."

"Don't tell me Akane's mother was related to the Kuno clan," Ranma had a bad feeling.

"In a way," Nodoka had a pleasant look as she lead the group towards the information desk, "you see twins are genetic. The Kuno twins' mother and Akane's mother were twin sisters, both came from the Tsukino clan."

"People of the Moon?" Ranma's baby blues got wide, Ukyo looked confused while Nabiki let out a sigh of relief, "You mean I'm related to Moonies?"

Ranma's jest broke the ice, getting Ukyo and Nabiki to relax. At the information counter, they got instructions to go to the adoption room on the fourth floor. The city hall was very old, dating before World War Two with stylish Roman staircases and antique elevators of glass and Neo-Classical iron working, the elevators even had an attendant to operate each one, who doubled as a tourist guide, explaining how Neima's location on the north-western part of Tokyo helped the district to avoid the fire-bombing of the last great war. Once in the room, there was a middle-aged man with a couple of assistants. He smiled at the group, his gray eyes seem to linger on Ranma a lot and he was pleasantly surprised to find the young man in the kimono was a young lady. They helped fill out the forms, with Ranma and Nabiki signing their names and using their seals.

"Welcome to the Tendo clan, Tendo Ranma," Nabiki smiled as she placed her copy of the adoption papers into her briefcase, "hopefully this stops the endless trek of fiancées seeking out Ranma Saotome."

"Hai..." Ranma was a little distracted, she watched as Nodoka and Ukyo signed the adoption papers, adding their seals to the document. The redhead smiled as her biological mother stood on her toes to kiss the right cheek of the tall teenager, who blushed and hugged her new mother, "Hai..."

"You're a big softie," Nabiki's tone wasn't nasty.

"Jus' the way I'm made," Ranma went over to Ukyo, giving the cross-dresser a hug, "nice to see you, Kunojo Ukyo."

"Arigato," Ukyo grinned, "Ran...neechan."

As the foursome left the room, Ranma noticed someone slipping around the corner, "Oh-oh."

"Trouble?" Ukyo became alert.

"I thought I saw Kuno's ninja lackey, Sasuke," Ranma stared at where the figure disappeared, hoping it was just her overactive imagination

"We better get your name changed toot sweet," Nabiki lead the group down the stairs to the next level, entering the room there. There was a long line at this place and it took an hour to get Ranma's name changed to Ran.

"So how does it feel to be an orchid instead of a wild horse?" Nabiki added the copies of the official name change to her briefcase.

"Maybe he should've done it earlier," Ukyo playfully poked Ran in the ribs, "after all orchids are unisex."

"Aaa..." Ran rolled her baby blues yet grinning at the teasing.

"Now to the marriage department," Nodoka happily commented.

"That is what I was afraid of," Ran's mood changed, her gaze darting everywhere.

"Your Spidey Sense going off?" a hint of fear in Nabiki's voice, she had learned from long experience to trust her new sister's instincts.

"Great," Ukyo growled, "and me without my arsenal."

"Is something wrong?" Nodoka patted her kimono, frowning a little due to having to leave her katana at home. She paused for a moment to let the others set up a mobile defensive position before moving on to the doors leading into the marriage department.

"We'll soon find out, Okasan," Ran felt vulnerable, wondering what was setting off her subconscious instincts

No ambush at the entrance, the doors opening smoothly at Nodoka's touch. Four pair of eyes swept the room. Once more the room showed its age, heavy oak tables and dividers, over-stuffed chairs, walls done in Neo-Classical styles with gold frills surrounding murals and statures. The ceiling was one massive painting showing the perfect wedding, with the guests wearing a mix of Western and traditional garb. The only part of the room that looked changed was the far area opposite the entrance, where a man wearing an elegant pressed suit, stood next to a virgin white diadem with large vases of white roses and lilies expertly arranged. The young man looked expectedly at the newcomers, giving the impression he was granted the authority by district government to do marriages on the spot, for those who wanted to avoid the expenses of a wedding hall, some of the groom families going so far as to do both wedding ceremonies, Western and Shinto.

There was something about the young justice-of-peace that bothered Ran, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The group following Nodoka to an empty service window, a young lady wearing a conservative dress with her dark hair done in curls smiled at them, bowing politely, "How my I help you?"

Ukyo was the fourth wheel of the group, so her eyes continue to scan the light crowd in the room, while Nodoka replied, "We are here to register a marriage."

"The name of the couples?" the assistant took out the proper form, picking up a pen.

"Tendo Ran and Tendo Akane," Nodoka motioned to her biological daughter, "My daughter, Ran, decided to go with a traditional adoption to the Tendo family."

There was a puzzled expression on the assistant pretty face, until she spotted Ukyo in the male kimono. The office lady smiled, "Where is the marriage to take place or did the couple want to use our services?" Her gaze shifted to the young man waiting patiently.

"Iie," Nodoka replied, smiling, "My daughter has already married her fiancée in bushi tradition," Ran held up her hand to show her wedding ring, a token of her marriage. The assistant looked startled at Nodoka and then at the redhead before her young eyes fell on Ukyo, once more thinking the bishoren man was the new husband and the mother used the wrong word. "Also, Tendo Akane had an accident and is currently bedridden under a doctor's care," Nabiki handed a couple of documents to Nodoka, "this is Akane's permission for me to sign the marriage certificate in her name as well as her seal," she placed the seal on top of the document, "and this is a statement from Tofu-sensei, who is the treating physician for Tendo Akane."

The female assistant checked the documents carefully, her eyes once more returning Ukyo, changing her opinion about availability of what she assumed to be a pretty boy. Finally coming back to Nodoka and Ran, "Although it is highly irregular, we do recognize the traditions of our ancient customs," she smiled, "you may sign for Tendo Akane."

Nodoka smiled and took a piece sticky paper held between two pieces of wax paper. The sticky paper had Akane's signature on it, so the older woman carefully affixed it to the document before she applied Akane's seal in the proper place.

Ran watched her mother, but there was nervousness in the martial artist's gaze, even as it came her time to sign her name and place her seal mark on the marriage certificate. It was pure reaction on her part, bending backwards her body, pulling the marriage certificate with her as a twelve-inch pike buried itself in the countertop where Ran's head would have been.

The assistant flew backwards, her eyes bulging at the black spike, which looked like a single rose, thorns and all. The air of the room filled with the swirl of black rose petals as well as an insane cackle. Ran glared at the iron rose, growling, "Kodachi."

Nodoka's hand went to the folds of her kimono where she would normally hide her katana, again feeling regret at leaving it home. Nabiki dodged and fell to the floor, using her Anything-Goes training to hide under the closest table. Ukyo was dropping to a battle stance, which saved her from getting a tip of a wooden bokken jabbing into her left shoulder. She hadn't seen the justice-of-the-peace at the diadem pull the training weapon out of the tall vase of roses, Ukyo's attention pulled to what almost happened to Ran, preventing her from seeing the blur of the man moving on them from the side, only her reaction allowed the wooden sword go over her shoulder, the sting of friction where it rubbed viciously against her neck and cut off a few stray locks of her hair.

Without her weapons, Ukyo fell back on her hand-to-hand training plus some of the techniques she had picked up from watching Ranma and Akane. With her left hand she grabbed the knot of the attacker's tie. With her right hand she cupped the black-haired male's left armpit. Twisting her body, using her lesser height to her advantage, she pulled him off-balanced, over her right shoulder, sending him into the floor in a classic judo throw.

"Kuno-chan," Nabiki shook her head in disbelief from her position under the table, while Ukyo jumped away to avoid Kuno's wild swing, "you dingbat."

"VILE HARLOT!" From a hidden door up in the ceiling dropped Kodachi, "I will not allow you to marry my sweet Ranma," her ribbon snaked out from her baton to snag one of the antique brass chandlery hanging from the ceiling, "his pokochin is only meant for me!" As the ribbon went taut, pulling Kodachi out of her dive, into a swing, her left hand unleashed a storm of phallic paper cutouts at the redhead.

Ukyo landed on top of the table Nabiki was hiding under, slipping a little in her wooden geta, "Saotoome Ranma! You demon sorcerer!" Tatewaki stormy eyes glared at the cross-dresser, "you have gone too far with your depraved spells, using them to bending the will of the Pig-tailed Girl, the siren of my heart," his front foot slid forward, preparing charge so he could deliver a two-handed overhead strike, "to wed you!"

"You dickhead Kuno!" Ukyo grabbed up a fistful of free fountain pens from a jar on the table, "I'm Kunojo Ukyo!"

"You weave your spells with your lies!" Tatewaki inched closer, "I only know Kuonji Ukyo," shifting the point of his bokken, "another poor girl you have used your enchantments on to strip her femininity, to caged her in masculinity for your perverted whims!"

Ran was about to use her speed technique to deflect the paper flying dicks with her hands, when she noticed the metallic gleam of their wings, "Kuso..." Immediately the redhead used her crutches in a spinning action like the blades of a helicopters. Many of the missiles imbedded themselves in the crutches or deflected into random directions, but there were too many. A boiling angry risen from the depths of her growing female psyche, her ears hearing the shedding of cloth and the random tugs on her cute dress by the steel-sharp paper, "My Momma brought that for me!" Ran disliked the dress when it was brought yesterday, disliked its cuteness and feminine style, but now was different. The pig-tailed girl vaulted into the air, leaving the ruined crutches behind as she flipped over the countertop, her hand yanked the iron pike out of it and threw it as she landed on top of the counter on one foot.

Kodachi smirked as the black rose spike missed her by a mile, then her expression turned to shock as the razor sharp thorns slash through her ribbon and left her once more in the tender mercy of gravity.

Tatewaki changed at Ukyo, which caused Nabiki to go pale and scramble out from under the table to crouch behind brass floor lamp, just as the team captain smashed the piece of oak in two with a downward swing of his bokken. Ukyo twisted her body as she leap into the air, using the spin of her body to lunch her own attack with the ink pens, "You're gotta knock a little harder!"

The young man expected the attack, lashing the air with his wooden weapon to smash the pens. Unknown to Tatewaki the pens were the old-fashion type, given for free to visitors. As such each of the sliced shells exploded into clouds of ink, covering Tatewaki's face and blinding him.

Ukyo grinned with contempt as Tatewaki slashed with his bokken recklessly underneath her. The only problem for the cross-dresser was the second shadow she spotted growing and merging with her own shadow. Due to being in descent, the longhaired teen could only arch her back and use her arms and chest to catch the falling Kodachi, knocking the wind out of both of them. On the bright side, someone was going to break their fall so nether girls would be hurt...much.

Nodaka's Home, Nerima, Tokyo

"I can't believe the twins have grown up to be such hellions," Nodoka complained, while fussing over Ukyo. The black kimono was gone, with the tall teenager wearing white boy shorts and simple cotton bra.

"It looks like you going have to do your cooking with your left hand," Doctor Tofu sat next to the bed, "luckily it is only a fractured support bone that runs along the top of your shoulder. You will be able to go to school but you will need to keep your right arm in the sling for at least one to two months na."

"At least Kuno-sempi broke your fall, Uu-chan," Ran sat in a chair by the entrance, wearing a pair of black tights, a crimson blouse and a light orange sweater tied around her waist, "as well as his sister's fall." The redhead looked over the room, "This looks very nice, Okasan. I'm glad you're putting my old bedroom to good use."

Nodoka smiled at the compliment, "I'm glad it is once more being used by my new offspring," she leaned down, kissing Ukyo on the right cheek, "even though she isn't from my womb."

"Okachan," Ukyo blushed at all the attention, her simple nightwear allowing everyone to see the spread of her rosy tint, "I'm glad all the legal eagle stuff is over with."

"For now," Nabiki stood in the entrance to the bedroom, sipping a mug of tea, "while everyone was busy with the ambulance and the medics, I was able to get the plans for the dojo expansion registered in the building department. The next step is for a meeting with the building commission in the near future."

"As long as we gotta ball rolling," Ran grinned.

"Despite my shoulder aching under that hellcat," Ukyo gave Ran a crooked grin, "I did enjoy the sight of you hoping on one foot, Ran-neechan, trying to yank your skirt down as much as possible to prevent a free panties show ne."

"Ne-ne, I remembered Ran-chan giving free tit shows," a wicked look coming from Nabiki, "especially when Hoppousai was around."

"Everyone's a comedian..." Ran saw the puzzled look from her mother, sighing, "I was use to gonna bare-chested as a guy and once I got over the shock of lookin' and feelin' girl tits on my chest, other gals bathing with me 'cause they thought I was a girl," she shrugged, "I sorta got use to it, so it wasn't until my first challenge fight with Mousse I realize Akane was right 'bout perverts."

"Ano...it is manly for boys to be that way," Nodoka smiled, "what the Americans say, 'boys will be boys'."

Ran rolled her eyes, "It's jus' I'm a girl now, so maybe I need to be more ladylike," her expression far from ladylike, "ya know...modest."

"That would be a new leaf," Nabiki grinned, finishing her tea.

"Hai," Ukyo nodded, before her gaze shifted to Ran, "You and Nabiki should head home to give Kasumi and Akane the good news."

Ran nodded, kissing Ukyo on the cheek where Nodoka had, "See you later, Uu-chan."

Ja ne, Ran-neechan," Ukyo winked at the pair.

Once the group left the bedroom, Ran using the new crutches Doctor Tofu brought for her, Nabiki asked, "How are the twins?"

"Kodachi was lucky, her gymnastic training allowed her to escape with minor cuts," Doctor Tofu cleaned his glasses, "Tatewaki on the other hand ended up with a cracked skull and will be staying at the Nerima Hospital until healed."

"Most distressing," Nodoka sadly spoke, "it is clear they suffer the lack of a mother's love and guidance," the mother lead everyone to the front door, "what sort of father do they have wa yo?"

"He spends most of his time in Hawaii," Nabiki answered.

"A real coconut," Ran added.

"It is a ruin of children that they have no parental influence to take care of them and to guide them and even discipline them," Nodoka lamented, "it is obvious to me, they have slipped into a world steep in their own fantasies."

"They both seem to hate their father, especially Kodachi," Nabiki observed, "and Tatewaki barely tolerant him."

"It must be their mother's suicide," Nodoka opened the door for them, "maybe I should visit the twins."

"Be careful, Okasan," Ran's face showed her concern, "they are both dangerous and violent."

"I will carry my katana," Nodoka patted her kimono where the hidden blade is located. The mother softly kissed Ran on the cheek, "I'm so proud of you, Ran-chan. With each day your invincible spirit, your sense of honor, your ability to adept and your wiliness to bear the burdens of others, leaves me with a glowing warmth within my heart."

"I had a lot of help, Okasan," Ran blushed while Nabiki and Doctor Tofu looked on, "Ja ne."


	6. Chapter Five

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Chapter Five: Ring of Fire

Tendo Residence, Nerima, Tokyo

Akane opened her eyes slowly, her mind first detecting the softness snuggled against her, her sleepy brain putting put one and one together and found it equal two mounds of feminine goodness pressing warmly to her face. The addition of two arms and two legs gave her the perfect answer. A smile appeared on her lips and she turned her head just enough so her lips could brush against the hollow of Ran's neck, the girl feeling one of her beloved's legs loop over her own legs, feeling those protective arms around her waist. The bob-haired girl let out a happy sound, feeling her own hands resting on Ran's bottom, making Akane feel so safe, so happy.

What broke this delicious moment Akane was experiencing? Her dainty nose caught a whiff of her own body. She was tired of being stuck in bed, being bedridden and enduring sponge baths by Kasumi and meds from Doctor Tofu to help keep her calm so could heal. Sure she enjoyed the pampering, she delighted in having Ran feed her and take care of the bedpan, and the snuggling and light kissing the couple did before in bed made everything seem so small.

This did not change the fact Akane was tired of all the pampering from everyone. After all deep down inside of her, this of the youngest Tendo actually relished being known as one tough cookie, even through she had to pay a price for it, including the buffoonery by Tatewaki and endless teasing from Ranma. Of course the teasing from Ran hadn't stopped, instead it took on a different tenor, a more playful and endearing tone since they are now married. Still, Akane didn't want to smell manly.

Carefully Akane untangled herself from Ran. The dark-haired teen was pretty sure the redhead wouldn't wake up. Despite keeping herself in shape, Akane noticed Ran was pretty tired after the fight with the Kuno twins at city hall. Even after their defeat and Tatewaki ending up in the hospital, Ran kept waking up at different points last night, checking to make sure Kodachi wasn't trying to ambush the married couple in bed. Such a schedule left the new Tendo female only able to mumble a compliant at losing her snuggle buddy.

On her tip toes Akane sneaked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She heard Kasumi humming to herself in the kitchen. Akane tried to avoid any of the creaking floorboards, knowing her oldest sister had excellent hearing. Making it through the living room, Akane moved onto the veranda and down the hallway to the bathroom.

Home free.

"You shouldn't assume I would still be in bed, Akane-chan."

"Ack!"

Nabiki smirked at the surprised look on Akane's face, when the youngest sister slid the door open to the furo, only to find her sister there, wrapped in a towel with the ends tuck around the swell of her breasts, one hand holding a long-handled brush while the other had a bottle of liquid soap, "We figured you would try something like this."

Akane sighed, her ears picking up a soft giggle, which drew her attention to Kasumi peeking out from the kitchen, smiling at her sisters before going back in. Akane turned back to Nabiki, saying, "At least can we have a normal bath?"

"Of course," Nabiki grinned, nodding at the stool at the shower. Akane moved over toward it, "Oh, you better take off your wedding ring, Akane, we don't know where Ranma...I mean Ran got it."

"Good idea."

The scream jolted Ran out of her sleep, her body rolling off the bed and onto her feet without thinking. The stab of pain from her ankle woke her up even more. A glance at the bed showed no Akane.

The door flew to one side with Ran using the crutches to propel down the hall. She bounced off the wall at the end so she could slide down the banister on her behind, but used one of the crutches on a step near the bottom to launch herself across the living room to land on one foot.

"It came from the furo!" Kasumi came running out of the kitchen.

Ran was moving so fast even with the crutches, but Kasumi kept up with him, her motherly instincts kicking into high gear. Kasumi barely reached the bathroom door before Ran, pulling it open. Kasumi let out a gasp as she saw Nabiki holding Akane, full terror on the middle Tendo's face at her young sister in the depths of seizures, her body shaking and her eyes empty of consciousness.

"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked, moving toward her kneeling sister holding their sister.

"I don't know!" Nabiki was crying, the once proud Ice Queen completely at a loss as she held Akane in her lap.

Ran froze for a second, just long enough to spot Akane's ring finger, "Nabiki! Where's the ring?"

"Nani?"

"The ring! Where is it?"

Nabiki looked confused, then she remembered, "There!"

Nabiki trembling hand led Ran to the ring upon an old bamboo displayer attached to the wall next to the entrance. Without another moment the redhead grabbed the ring, dropped to her knees and slip it onto Akane's twitching finger. It must have felt like forever to the three girls kneeling around Akane, but it was only a few seconds before Akane began to calm down, the seizures fading until an exhausted sound came from the youngest of the Tendo, the teenager falling into a deep sleep. A happy sound came from Nabiki, hugging Akane tight and gently rocking her sister.

"I'm going to call Tofu-sensei," Kasumi looked the picture of calm, but there was something in her eyes, when they turned to Ran, the redhead saw the oldest sister was very angry, "and you, Tendo Ran, have some explaining to do."

Ran swallowed, "Hai, Onee."

Location: Nerima Hospital, Nerima, Tokyo

Everyone sat in the waiting room at Nerima Hospital. The only good thing about the whole situation was Tatewaki's room was in the south wing and Akane was in the north wing. Very little chance of Tatewaki or Kodachi butting in, at least Ran hoped so.

Doctor Tofu came out of Akane's room with two other doctors. The threesome chatted for a moment, nodding before going separate ways. The thirty-something doctor came to the group, with Nodoka standing up, "How is Akane?"

"Akane is doing well for someone with extensive brain injury," Tofu sounded calm but also curious, turning to the redhead, "Ranma..."

"It's Tendo Ran, Sensei," Ran corrected, her baby blues conveying misery.

"Ran-chan," Tofu's expression was gentle, "could you tell me how I could have misdiagnose extensive brain injury as a severe concussion ka?"

Ran stood up, looking dejectedly, feeling the eyes of the others on her, "With this," she held up her hand, showing the wedding ring, "some ojiisan in the alleyway gave it to me, said it would help the one I loved, but at a price."

"As I expected," Doctor Tofu exam the band of gold, "the MRI done on Akane focused my intellect upon something like this."

"MRI?" Ran asked, while Kasumi and Nodoka came to stand each side of her, with Ukyo and Nabiki standing behind them.

"It is amazing," Doctor Tofu nodded, "to myself and the assistant doctors who watched as Akane's brain was repairing itself," his tone showed awe, "we saw the brain's nervous system re-knitting torn pathways, repair damaged brain cells and even reline parts of the brain tissue, which had been jarred out of place by the enormous impact of the explosion against Akane's body."

"Doctor-sensei," Nodoka looked concerned, her left hand gently on Ran's trembling right shoulder, "will Akane recover?"

"I can't be sure," Doctor Tofu's expression was thoughtful, "my examination here at the hospital along with the opinions of my associates, we agreed the magic of the wedding rings were attempting to keep Akane stable while her brain was repaired by the same magic," his expression became uncertain, "but when Akane removed the ring, it is clear its effects on her was removed, until Ranma...I mean Ran was able to place it back on her finger."

"Oya Maa..." Kasumi spoke softly, "how much of her memories did she lose?"

It was a struggle, you could see Doctor Tofu clamp down on himself internally as his gaze met Kasumi's soulful eyes, "Unknown, Kasumi-chan," he took off his glasses, "from the brain damage I saw on the MRI, I would have to say the initial catatonic state Akane was in kept her alive until Ran could get the wedding ring to her."

"Tofu-sensei," Nabiki handed the good doctor a handkerchief when he began to pat his doctor smock, "isn't there just a little too much luck going on here wa?"

"I agree, Nabiki-san," Doctor Tofu accepted the handkerchief, "before the arrival of Ranma and the wake of magic and supernatural events surrounding him...her," he smiled at the redhead, "I would have been very skeptical of what I'm about to suggest, despite my own studies into acupuncture and the pressure points of the body."

"Which is?" Nabiki folded her arms over her chest, the middle Tendo looking more like a patient, since she was wearing a bathrobe and barefooted. The others were dressed much like her except for Nodoka, who was wearing a dark blue kimono with the butterfly motif done in white.

"Ran-chan, when the old man told you there was a price for using these wedding rings to save Akane," the thirty-something doctor focused on the emotional teen, "what did you believe that price would be?"

Ran's baby blues shimmer, "My manhood, Tofu-sensei," her voice thick with emotion, "and I gave it to save Akane."

Nodoka squeezed her daughter's shoulder, "A noble sacrifice, Ran-chan," her eyes glowed with approval, "I couldn't think of anything greater to show your love for Akane."

"You're not mad, Okasan," Ran's turned to her mother, "I wasn't sure...givin' something ya prized so much in me."

"If you gave up your manliness for something frivolous or swallow," Nodoka softly caressed her daughter's dark crimson hair, "I might've had you split your belly," a tiny smile on her lips to suggest this was more a tease than serious statement on her part, "but this only proves you are not only a man amongst men, you are a woman amongst women."

Ran hugged her mother tight, tears rolling from the corners of her closed eyes, Nodoka hugging her daughter back, her own eyes closed as she continued to pet those dark curls. When Ran opened her eyes, she saw Uyko looking at her. Suddenly the redhead looked away, a play of emotions on her face.

SLAP!

Nodoka stumbled back and Ran was stunned, touching her left cheek where Ukyo's backhand had connected, "How dare you." Ukyo's eyes flashed with rage, "How dare you think I would want Akane dead," her words kept everyone silent, "how many times do I have to say it? Akane is my friend!"

"Uu-chan..." Ran saw tears running down Ukyo's cheeks.

"It was nothing more than a childish crush," the tall teenager tried so hard to keep her voice a whisper, "sure...I got carried away...all of the competition for you...even hatching plots and schemes with Xian Poo and Ryoga...but I never...ever tried to hurt Akane on my own...she...she was so much of a friend for me...she never thought of me as a tomboy...never looked down on me for dressing as a boy...acting like one."

"Gomen..." Ran hugged Ukyo as best as she could with the crutches holding the young redhead, "jus' shows how much of a sucker I was in the whole mess."

"I'm not surprised Akane felt a kindred spirit with you, Uu-chan," Kasumi held out a handkerchief for Ukyo to use, "our little sister wasn't sure of her sexuality."

"That's saying a mouthful, Oneesan," Nabiki smirked, Ukyo accepting the handkerchief, "Akane could give a lot of guys instructions on being manly."

The dark mood was broken by the jest, Nodoka holding both of her daughters, looking at the young doctor, "Tofu-sensei, could Ran and Uyko go in to see Akane?"

"Akane was moved to a private room," Doctor Tofu put his glasses back on, "she is being kept heavily sedated until the healing process is done," he looked at Ran and Ukyo, "and while physically she wouldn't know they were they, I'm sure Akane would be happy to have them sit with her for awhile."

"Domo arigato gozaimasu," Ran's words matched the expressions of the group.

As the good doctor lead Ran and Ukyo to the room, Nabiki said, "I'm going down to make sure the hospital paperwork is done right."

"Nodoka-san," the older woman turned to Kasumi, "would you like to stay with me for the rest of the day," the oldest sister smiled softly, "I could use some help at home. I'm sure everyone will come home hungry later on."

"That sounds like a capital idea, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka walked with Kasumi down the hallway, "and I could do with something to keep me busy. I'm not as young as I once was."

"I don't know about that," Kasumi objected, her tone light, "after all you just brought a new daughter into the Kunogo clan."

Noboka laughed, "Indeed I did."

Akane was under a oxygen tent, an iv taped to the soft underside of her right elbow, two wires going under her hospital gown to the sensors attach to her chest, while two more where attached to her temples. While the monitor showed her heartbeat and breathing to be normal, her brainwave was chaotic, influx, with only the movement of her eyes under their closed lids suggesting anything was happening. As Doctor Tofu had told them, the two wedding rings on Akane's finger and Ran's finger used their magic to keep Akane physically stable while her brain was being repaired.

When Nabiki joined them after two hours, Ran asked Nabiki to escort Ukyo home, the redhead noticing Ukyo was showing fatigue probably due to her current injured shoulder. The tall teenager protested but the redhead promised to let everyone know if Akane's condition changed. Uyko sighed but agreed, but getting an addition promise from Ran for the teenager to go home once someone took over her watch.

It was only after Ran left Akane's room for a bathroom break, sipping a cup of tea she had accepted from a hospital volunteer, did the redhead change her direction in the hallway. Soon she was in the other wing of the building. She checked at the nurses' station to see if she could see Kuno Tatewaki, telling the head nurse she was a school friend. A younger nurse guided Ran to the private room, checking in first to see if Tatewaki would like a visitor. Once Ran was given permission, she entered while the nurse left.

"So you have come to see your fallen paladin," the upper part of the bed was elevated so Tatewaki could gaze on Ran, his upper shoulders, neck and head held in traction by a padded steel cage, "I have failed you, my pigtailed diva, for while my spirit was great, my body was susceptible to the fowl illusions of Saotome Ranma, blinding me with darkness to cowardly strike me down."

"Kuno-senpai," Ran rolled her eyes, "after all you have gone through at Ranma's side against the Phoenix King, can you really believe that anymore wa?"

Tatewaki looked like he was going to argue the point, but then he sighed, "What difference would it make now?" A look of defeat on his young face, "you are now married to the perverted sorcerer."

"Iie," Ran was wearing a purple housecoat over her silk pajamas, "the person you mistook for Ranma was really Ukyo," surprised showed on the man's face, "Hai, Ukyo told you the truth, she was renounced her ties to her father's clan."

"Then Ukyo is a member of the Kunjo clan?" Tatewaki tried to smile, but the metal brace only allowed a slight twitch of the corners of his lips, "There is hope for her then. Kunjo is a cadet branch of the Kuno clan."

"Tell me about it," Ran muttered. Then she coughed into her hand when Tatewaki frown, "Ukyo was accepted in the Kunjo family by my mother, Kunjo Nodoka."

"But I thought you had the same name as Saotome Ranma?" Tatewaki looked confused.

"Due to the estrangement between my parents caused by my father's idiocy, my mother officially returned to her parents family, returning to her maiden name," Ran was trying to keep it as simple as possible, for her own understanding as well as for the older teenager.

Tatewaki's eyes flashed with insight, then they dimmed, "Such a foolish knight errant was I, to think I was defending you against some demonic magician, yet both he and you are my distant cousins. I have been negligent in my duties as head of the Kuno family."

"It's alright Kuno-senpai," Ran kept levelheaded, "I only found out about all this after I married Akane."

If it wasn't for the steel brace, Tatewaki's jaw would have popped off, "You married Akane..." his eyes as big as saucers, "then you...and her?"

"Hai!" Ran gave a big cheesy grin, lifting her hand up, spreading her fingers wide so Tatewaki could see the wedding ring, "We're a couple of rezu!"

Suddenly a cackle of laughter sent a chill up Ran's spine, her baby blues almost as wide as Tatewaki's eyes at the sight of Kodachi gracefully coming from behind a hospital room divider. The redhead hadn't noticed a corner of the private room isolated by the movable curtain. In one hand she held a textbook, her dark eyes full of mirth, "Oh my poor brother dear," she moved on the tips of toes, "was it the sight of your dekachin that drove your two love interests into each others' lustful embrace?" The pleated skirt of her school fuku billowed to mid-thigh as she turn to face the redhead, "Do tell me, is Akane the otachi of your marriage," Ran bristled at having Akane called a bull dyke, "and you are her Chidori-chan?"

"I'll show you who has a funny walk," Ran growled as she unglued from the spot where Kodachi's laughter had frozen her. Then the young redhead stopped, remembering where she was, "Iie...this is the wrong place and the wrong time to fight you, Kuno Kodachi," spotting the black-haired teenager draw her head behind herself, "for I am the bearer of sad news for you."

"Nani?" Kodachi had dropped into her gymnastic fighting stance.

Ran cleared her throat, trying to gather up all of her ability of pretence, "I am also here in the capacity as a former member of the Kunojo clan, to inform the head of the Kuno clan, Kuno Tatewaki, of my joining of the Tendo clan, changing my name to Tendo Ran," she kept her tone formal, "and of the death of the young man who once shared my name, Ranma Saotome."

"Iie..." Kodachi's face was so white, the contrast of her uniform and black hair making it look chalky, "it can't be..." her numbed fingers dropped the thorny rose she held behind her back, "how?"

"The explosion at the abandoned school several days ago," Ran masked herself behind the formality, "it was a trap created by the male Amazon, Mousse. Ranma didn't make it out."

Tears came from Kodachi's eyes while her legs folding underneath her, followed by sounds of sobbing. Guilt wrenched Ran's stomach, she opened her mouth to say something, but Tatewaki interrupted her, "Go, Tendo Ran. Go now," a stern expression on the young man's face, "I do not want you to see my sister like this."

Ran thought for a moment, her expression once more formal as she drew herself up, bowed to both brother and sister, and left.

"I wish I was there with a camera to preserve Tatewaki's expression for prosperity," Nabiki relieved Ran at one o'clock, "at hearing you and Akane got hitched."

"Kodachi was there too," Ran felt sick to her stomach, barely able to eat the rice balls Nabiki brought for her. Nabiki also brought Ran a fresh pair of undies, a cherry pink blouse, some white ankle socks and a pale orange skirt that goes down the her feet.

"Now I really do wish I was there," a predator smile on Nabiki's face, "I'll bet Kodachi had a cow when she heard of the demise of her sweet Ranma."

"Give me a break, Nabiki-neechan," Ran put down the rice ball, the pair sitting in the hospital cafeteria, "you know how much I hate to lie."

"Don't be a wet blanket, Ran-chan," Nabiki folded her hands under her chin, "you know as well as I do, for you to make a complete break with your past, Saotome Ranma had to die, which he has in a matter of speaking, allowing you to be reborn as Tendo Ran, the loving bride of my dear little sister."

"I know," Ran picked up the rice ball from her bowl, "but you weren't there when Kodachi burst into tears."

"Yare-yare," Nabiki shook her head, "why can a girl tears turn a steel will like yours into putty?" She reached over the small table and pinched Ran's nose, "Now repeat after me: I'm Ran Tendo. I'm a girl. I'm immune to tears."

Ran did, grinned at the end before swatting Nabiki's hand away from her nose, "Ne-ne, I understand." She spotted Doctor Tofu coming into the cafeteria, waving to him "Oi!"

Doctor Tofu waved back and joined them after getting his own meal, "I'm surprised you two are eating hospital food."

"We not," Ran started on her next rice ball, "Nabiki brought these from home for me."

"That explains the smell," Tofu took a bite of his beef tofu burger, "Kasumi is the only one I know who uses sweet apple vinegar in her rice dishes."

"How is my little sister doing?" Nabiki cleared her chin of sticky rice.

"The MRI we did at noon gave us an image of her brain's process of healing itself at the same astonishing rate," the good doctor spoke slowly, "and her life signs remain strong."

"This morning, you mentioned a possible memory loss when she took off the wedding ring," Nabiki took a sip of milk from a pint container, "how much of a loss?"

"We don't know until Akane's brain is fully healed and we take her off the medications," Tofu took a sip from her juice poach.

"But you do expect some memory loss," Nabiki's tone was edgy

"Unfortunately I do," Tofu wasn't happy being forced to say anything.

"I knew I shouldn't have told Akane to take the ring off," Nabiki blinked as the pint container was crushed in her hands, squirting milk into everyone's face.

Ran glared at Nabiki while Tofu chuckled, taking several paper napkins to dry his face, "You didn't know this would happen, Nabiki-chan," he shrugged a little, "neither did Ran. Not really. Everything Akane told me connected with her miraculous awakening was scientifically possible."

"The loss of Ran's curse should've clued me in," Nabiki mumbled, looking away, "after all I'm the Ice Queen, I'm the one who uses her brain and not her glands..." the redhead pinched her sister-in-law's nose, causing the brown-haired teen to say, "very funny."

"Nothing is ever straightforward, Nabiki-chan," Tofu damped the split milk from his tray, "Akane probably convinced Ran, at least on a subconscious level that the wedding ring only acted as a psychological catharsis on her. There wasn't any evidence of the sort of brain damage Akane had suffered. What the MRI showed us this morning was after the healing process already began."

"You're saying Akane was in a catatonic when Ranma put the wedding ring on her finger," Nabiki felt ice cold inside, "and her body was still functioning but her brain had been turned to gray soup."

"Figures," Ran drew their attention to her, "Akane thought she was still alive and like on Phoenix Mountain, she wasn't ready to die."

Tofu nodded, continued to eat his food, "At that time, the wedding rings were able to preserve Akane's memories because her spirit still held them fresh within itself. We need to be concern about the shock caused by the sudden loss of the magical cocoon around them."

"What sort of loss?" Nabiki whispered.

"We won't know until the healing process is completed," Tofu repeated himself, "it could be zero memory loss, short-term memory loss or..."

"Or she mighta forgot this whole last year," Ran finished the statement by the good doctor.

"It could happen, but I don't think she would forget her love for you, Ran," Doctor Tofu smiled, "you see emotional bonds between couples, a daughter for her father, a son for his mother, a lover for another lover," he took a sip of his juice, "it isn't depend on only memories they nurtured together, it also depends on the psycho-biological bonds our powerful emotions create. It is why some couples fall in love at first sight, because it isn't the memories that told them they were in love, it is their emotional attraction that did."

"So even if Akane has trouble remembering everything we did together," Ran sounded hopefully, "she couldn't stop loving me wa?"

"Hai," Doctor Tofu heard the sigh of relief coming from Nabiki and hope grow in Ran's eyes.

Location: Tendo Residence, Nerima, Tokyo

With Nodoka taking her shift at the hospital, Ran and Nabiki came home to the Tendo compound. They found Uyko waiting for them there, the tall teenager helping Kasumi with the cooking, "Kasumi invited me to stay here so I wouldn't feel lonely."

"It is better this way," Kasumi explained as she finished the cooking the yakitori, "Nodoka won't be home until after midnight and Ukyo has to be ready for school tomorrow."

"I wish I could dodge school tomorrow," Nabiki sounded depressed, "but I know you won't let me do that, Oneesan."

"Honto ne," Kasumi agreed, taking the baked potatoes out of the oven, "I'm worried about Akane as well, but I think Ran and Nodoka will be enough of a family representation."

"Ran-neechan, are you okay?" Ukyo noticed the silence coming from the redhead.

"Jus' down, Uu-chan," Ran sighed while her crutches took her down the hall to the furo, "I'm going to take a quick bath before dinner na."

"Mind if I join you wa?" Nabiki followed the redhead.

"No problem," Nabiki had seen Ran naked plenty of times, so it didn't bother the martial artist.

Once the pair were inside the furo, Ran turned to Nabiki as they undress, "You shouldn't beat yourself up, Nabiki-neechan," she gently squeezed the older teenager's left shoulder with one hand, "Tofu-sensei is right, I let my guard down 'cause I started to think everything was fine da."

"I know," Nabiki sighed, "but I can't help thinking like this," the middle sister sat on a stool and begins to wash herself, "whenever I made a mistake before, it wasn't this serious."

"Demo...I remember some of the lumps I took from your schemes," Ran sat on her own stool, "as for my curse not working being a clue, it's a weak clue," she wet herself down with the shower head, "'cause anything can mess witha curse."

Nabiki blinked at Ran, looking a little surprised at her new sister, "I guess you're right, Ran-chan." Feeling a little better, the teenager began to work on shampooing her dark brown hair.

The students at Fuurinkan High School knew about Kuno Tatewaki being in the hospital, the rumor mill even mentioned the absence of Kuno Kodachi from the private Catholic school, but it was a surprise for them to see Ukyo come to school with one arm immobilized against her chest, with an added surprise of a protective Tendo Nabiki walking next to her. Another surprise came during homeroom period, when one of the students coming from the admin office, told the class Ukyo was adopted by Nodoka, the martial artist cook now a member of the Kunojo family. Add on top of this cascade of events was Nabiki keeping a low profile, allowing her hirelings to do all the talking. When asked about Ranma and Akane, both Ukyo and Nabiki shook their heads, saying nothing.

After the half-day of school on Saturday, Hiroshi and Daisuke came to the Tendo residence. They hopes to find out what was happening to their friend, Ranma, was curbed by the even polite Kasumi telling them neither Ranma nor Akane were available. After giving each boy a bag of sweet mochi to eat, she lead them to the front entrance and waved them goodbye.

On Sunday at the hospital, Ran sat in a chair next to the slumbering Akane on her bed. Sharing Ran's vigil was her mother, Nodoka, the daughter wearing a yellow sundress while the mother wore a plain sky blue kimono with apple blossoms embroidered. Ran was reading a shojo manga Uyko had picked for her, Rayearth, while Nodoka was reading a translation of an English novel, Jane Eyre. Doctor Tofu had visited his patient earlier in the morning, when the other ladies of the Tendo residence were there. The doctors had decided to stop the medication that kept Akane in an artificial coma, because The MRI taken at dawn showed Akane's brain was fully healed. It was time for the teenager to wake up. Doctor Tofu cautioned it would take time for the medication to get flushed from her system, so Kasumi, Nabiki and Ukyo went home, promising to be back in the afternoon.

"Kami-sama..." Ran put the manga down in her lap, "so boring," she looked at her sleeping wife. The oxygen tent was removed, leaving only the wireless sensors attached to her body, "I thought I'd be on pins and needles waiting for Akane to wake up," she rubbed her tired eyes with the palms of her hands, "instead I feel...ano...tense."

"Ran-chan, why don't you lay on the bed with Akane," the redheaded teen's expression suggested her mother just grew a second head, "Go on, I'm sure the doctors won't object and I know Akane wouldn't."

Ran blushed, feeling uncomfortable about the idea of being in the bed with her mate, in front of her mother, even with the covers separating them. The girl gawked at the older redhead for a minute, getting only a knowing smile from Nodoka before she went back to reading her novel. Ran stared at her mother for a moment longer before sighing, mostly because once the cat was out of the bag, she found it strangely appealing the more she thought of it. Finally giving a shrug, Ran got up, put her closed manga on the chair she just vacated and very gingerly slipped onto the bed, trying to keep her weight from waking up Akane.

Ran laid on her side, her head resting on the far edge of Akane's pillow. Almost immediately the pigtailed girl felt an enormous fatigue hit her. She hadn't slept well the night before, coming home very late due to sneaking into Akane's room after visiting hours had ended. It didn't help Ran could hear the faint breathing of Akane, the wispy sound of tiny breaths of air exhaling, the rhythmic sounds so enchanting to listen to.

The redhead was sound asleep before she knew it.

It felt like only like a few seconds to Ran, but by the time her eyes open, the flames of the late afternoon sun filled the hospital room. For a moment she was sleepy, quickly the feeling changing to joy as she found Akane had snuggled against the redhead's body, each pair of arms around the other with feet touching. It was obvious Akane awoke while Ran was in dreamland and decided to join her mate in the same realm. Slowly Ran became aware of the scent of Akane's body, the whiff in her petite nostrils made her realize how much she missed her beloved. Barely able to contain her tears Ran press tighter to Akane, indulging in the sensations she missed so much.

A tiny sound Ran heard just before she felt Akane's lips touch a spot behind the redhead's right ear. A little moan escaped Ran's lips, before her baby blues widen at the hearing of someone coughing, "Akane...we're not alone." A sound of frustration came from Akane, the dark-haired girl rolling onto her back. Ran looked concern at the fatigue she saw in Akane's expression, pulling herself up to sit on the side of the bed, looking at Doctor Tofu and the other ladies of the Tendo residence, "Yare-yare, I didn't know we were holding a convention here."

"We couldn't disturbed you two," Ukyo chided from her seat next to Nodoka, "you both looked so kawaii in your snuggle time."

"I was going to start taking bets on how far you guys would go," Nabiki grinned from her seat between Nodoka and Kasumi, "before you realized you had an audience."

"At least Tofu-sensei had the sense of honor," Kasumi smiled softly, "before things got out of hand."

Doctor Tofu had moved his chair up a little so Kasumi wouldn't be in his line of sight, "I don't think things would've gotten far." His eyes focused on his patient, "You are still tired, Akane-chan?" Akane made another soft sound, nodding.

Ran's concern bloomed into worry, "Nani?" She looked at Akane, "You do know who I am?" The redhead pointed at herself. Akane smiled, nodding as she lifted her hand to display the ring on her finger. Ran sighed with relief, before asking, "But something is wrong?" A serious look showed on Akane's face, another nod.

"Akane's memories, both core and short-term, are intact," Doctor Tofu answered as well, "so the removal of the wedding ring didn't effect it," in the young man's hands was Akane's medical file, "what it did effect was her cerebral neural network. The magic of the rings allowed it to continue to work even in its severe damaged state, allowing Akane to use her body normally."

"Which means?" Ran felt Akane's hand fumble as it gripped the redhead's right hand.

"It means Akane is like a baby first learning to use her body," Nodoka tried to frame her answer in a way her daughter would understand, "and learning how to speak as well."

"The advantage Akane has over a baby is her cognitive ability to think things out logically," Doctor Tofu adjusted his glasses, "and recognize objects and things for what they are, while a baby is trying through the process of trial and error to figure out the same thing."

"I don't know, Tofu-sensei," Nabiki rubbed her chin, "Akane-chan wasn't much into brain power," the middle Tendo grinned when Akane stuck her tongue out, "I wouldn't do that, Akane-chan, seeing your tongue might trigger Ran's Neko-ken."

Akane made a unpleasant sound, which caused the others to smile, lightening the mood in the hospital room, before Ran asked, "Ano...Tofu-sensei...how long will it take?"

"It should only take Akane a month to relearn to walk and use her hands with confidence," Doctor Tofu looked into Akane's file, "learning to speak will take longer as will the more subtle things we do with our bodies like writing, drawing and martial arts."

Ran blinked at the last part of the good doctor's statement, looking down and seeing tears in the corners of Akane's eyes, "Don't worry, Akane," the redhead leaned down, kissing her beloved on the lips tenderly, "I'll teach you martial arts from the very beginning," a soft kiss to each of dark-haired girl's cheeks, "we both know you are a natural."

"I think we should leave," Kasumi got up, placed her hand on Doctor Tofu's right wrist, "Tofu-sensei, I'm thinking of going back to school and getting my high school degree," there was a mix of emotions playing over the doctor's features, "is there a good nursing school close to Nerima?"

"I agree," Nabiki got up, grinning as Doctor Tofu struggled to get words out, "I think my two younger sisters want to do some loving-dovey ne."

"To be young and fearless again," Nodoka sighed as the group left the room.

"I feel a little hungry," Ukyo walked beside Nodoka, "I think I'll make some okonomiyaki for everyone when we get home."

"Kami-sama..." Ran shook her head slowly while Akane giggled, "family."


	7. Chapter 6

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Chapter Six: Big Trouble in Little China

It was early Monday when Kasumi found Ran doing her early morning kata, modified to take into account her inflated case and crutches. Looking at the time and seeing they had plenty of time, the oldest Tendo sister suggested to her new sister it was time for another sex lesson.

Ran blushed at the suggestion, nodding, and following Kasumi as the pair went to oldest sister's room. Seated on the bed next to each other, Kasumi took Ran's right hand in both of her, "Tell me, Ran-chan, how has your experience with the vibrator and the dildo been like?"

"I'm...I'm a little surprised, Onee," Ran's cheeks staying the color of her hair, "I remembered wha'cha said about not flipping out each time, but I haven't had any trouble. In fact, its been the other way around," she nibbled her lower lip, "I haven't used the fake dick. Every time I use the little egg doohickey, my insides jus' melt."

"I'm not surprised," Kasumi softly squeezed Ran's hand with her own, "Akane had the same trouble when she first started to use sextoys to masturbate with."

"Nani?" Ran was both surprised and happy by the news she shared another trait with her beloved.

Kasumi nodded, "It took me awhile to figure it out it and it is because of the Anything Goes Martial Arts training. The way the mind, the body and the soul are able to merge and focus together. Because of it, the ability to successfully to have an orgasm is higher than a normal woman."

"Suge gu," Ran smiled, "it is true of other martial artists na?"

"Iie," Kasumi shook her head, "it's due to the special emphasis in the Anything Goes Martial Arts of adding new techniques and improvisation, it allows a great deal of mental flexibility, which in turn leads to sexual flexibility."

"So na," Ran thought for a moment, "both you and Nabiki were taught by your father before you both decided not to devote yourself to the Art."

"Hai," Kasumi's expression was very sisterly, "and the training has helped in keeping our minds flexible in more ways than one ne."

Ran giggled at the implied meaning, nodding, "I lik'ta try out the fake dick," her baby blues bright, "you know me and new techniques."

Kasumi giggled as well, one hand to her lips, "Instead of using the vibrator, Ran-chan, use your hands and imagine the effects of the vibrator on your vagina. You need this," her hand motioning at the redhead's crotch, "to be aroused and moist with its own natural lubrication, so using a dildo won't cause excessive pain."

"Hai," Ran nodded, thinking over Kasumi's advice.

"You might experience some pain and tenderness because this is your first time," Kasumi's tone gentle, "but once the pleasure begins to build, you should be fine as long as you don't overuse it."

"Domo arigato, Onee," Ran accepted the hug from Kasumi before the pair left her bedroom.

Kasumi headed for the kitchen while Ran made her way to the furo, her little black bag hanging from her left wrist while using the crutches. Once inside of the furo, with crutches in one corner and her inflated case next to them, the redhead thought while she wash herself. Once done and in the oblong steamy pool of water, Ran followed her big sister's advice. Closing her baby blues, the teenager began to run her fingertips over her body, using the heat and texture of the water to aid in sensitizing her body. After swirling her right fingers over her muscled stomach, she moved it down between her thighs, which caused a little gasp when she touched her clitoris, the bud still in its hood. She wetted her lips as her fingers started to pet her pussy, keeping the sensation light so it could combine with the simulation of the water. With her left hand, the girl caressed her breasts, tracing out the edge of each one, little spikes of pleasure making her shiver. It is now Ran tried to plug in her memories of the awesome effect of the vibrator, using her imagination to bring back those powerful pulses.

It took some concentration for Ran to pull herself back from the status her fingering was doing to her. A little moan escaped her lips as she slide her right middle finger between her engorged nether lips, pulling it back out and out of the water. Using her thumb she found the sticky juices clinging to her digits, "Looks like I'm ready," her voice husky.

Taking the dildo in hand Ran looked at it for a moment, before she took it under the water. She fumbled for a moment, a little gasp of pleasure causing her cheeks to flush more when the tip rubbed her stiff clitoris. Then felt the cockhead press against and between her nether lips, causing her eyes to widen at feeling her vaginal walls stretch, "Kami-sama...so tight...glad I didn't insist...on borrowing Onee..." Ran's whole body shivered, her legs twitching as she slowly pushed the sex toy into herself. She stopped for a moment when she came close to her pain threshold, panting until she could feel her insides relax. The sensation of being so full was so awesome, so good. The redhead licked her lips and pushed more of the dildo inside of her until she felt the tip stroke her cervix, causing the teenager to moan louder, her hips bucking a little.

For a long time she savored how the tightness of her vaginal tunnel felt to be stretched and filled, her panting increasing a little. With her hand holding the end of the dildo, she begins to slide it out, taking two-thirds of it out of herself before she begins to push it back inside, her eyelids flickering each time the sex toy stroked her G-spot, sending ripples of pleasure into her brain. Ran continued the process, moving the rubbery device in her pussy, the motion taking on a life of its own, the redhead could feel her brain melting like before, feeling her other hand moving on its own to knead her breasts, to pitch and tug her stiff nipples. As her arousal grew stronger, her pain threshold disappearing under the flood of pleasure, her hips bucking by instinct to the rhythm of her thrusts, her panting so loud, her eyes close and her body shaking with its lust.

A half-asleep Nabiki is standing outside in the hallway, wearing her rumpled blue pajamas and about to slide the door to the furo open. Her foggy mind is shocked awake by the lustful squeal coming from the bath part of the room, "Ne-ne someone is sure flipping out," she grinned

Monday was also Ran's first day at school for the new semester. The redhead along with Nodoka, Uyko and Nabiki reached the administration building at Fuurinkan High School with plenty of time before the first period. Once the paperwork was done, Nodoka went back to her home and Nabiki went to her homeroom. Ran and Ukyo followed their homeroom teacher, Ninomiya Himako. The child teacher looked between the taller girls, a stern look on her cute face, "Remember, no fighting or I'll suck you like a lemon."

"Hai, Himako-sensei," both girls weren't surprised by the warning, since they both looked like they went through 15 rounds with Mike Tyson, Uyko's right arm immobilized while Ran was still on crutches with the blue inflated case on her right foot and ankle. Ukyo smiled at how upbeat Ran seemed, there was a bounce to how the redhead moved on her wooden legs, her baby blues sparkled with confidence. When the group walked to the school, Ukyo asked Nabiki in a whisper why her new big sister was so happy. The return whisper from the older teenager caused the martial artist cook to deeply blush.

The noise in the classroom dropped when its door slid open, allowing Teacher Himako, Ran and Ukyo to enter. The class president had the class go through the routine of greeting the teacher. In the back Ran saw Hiroshi and Daisuke watching her intently. It wasn't unusual either Ukyo or Ran to show the results of their battles, although it was clear from the expressions on Ran's friends, the two boys found it strange seeing the girl form instead of their mucho male buddy. Even more so was what Ukyo and Ran were wearing. Ran was in the girl's uniform while Ukyo was wearing a skirt.

It had caught Ran off-guard when the pair met in the morning. Clearly it was some sort of compromise between the cross-dresser and her new mother. Ukyo was wearing the long skirt of the girl's school uniform but the shirt and jacket was of the boy's school uniform. It had taken a little bit of convincing to get the administration staff to agree to the combination uniform, but not much since several students, including Ran, wore whatever they wanted to. For Ran, she was wearing the girl's school uniform but not the one she sometimes wore as a disguise. This one was brand new and even included cute stickers on her school shoes, much to Ran's embarrassment since her mother insisted.

Himako got onto a soapbox behind her podium, using a ruler to tap the top, "Class, we have two new students joining us today." Her sweet child voice showing no gall, "Would you introduce yourself to your new classmates?"

Uyko nodded and using her left hand, wrote her name on the chalkboard, "I'm Kunojo Uyko," she bowed to the students, "I'm happy to meet you."

The shock in the classroom was mild compared to what happened next when Ran wrote her name on the chalkboard next, "I'm Tendo Ran," she bowed to her classmates, "Those who knew me from last year or heard rumors about me, know I had a water curse, allowing me to change gender. Well, I don't have the water curse anymore, but I'm not a boy anymore, I'm one-hundred percent girl and I'm married to Tendo Akane da."

Let loose the dogs of bedlam.

"That went well," Ukyo commented as she and Ran sat down under one of the trees in the school's grounds.

"Speak fer yourself, Uu-chan," Ran groused, placing her bento on the ground, "it took Himako's 50-yen-coin attack to those dweebs off my back da."

"Yo," both girls looked up at Hiroshi and Daisuke, the latter asking, "Could we sit with you, Ukyo-kun, Ran...Ran-kun ka?"

Ran smiled, motioned to the ground next to her and Ukyo, "Hai...and you can call me Ran-chan na." Then the redhead noticed Akane's friends, Yuka and Sayuri, looking at them, "Come on over, Yuka-chan, Sayuri-chan, more the merrier."

Soon there was a ring of students sitting in the shade of the tree, eating their lunches, "Ano...how is Akane wa?" Yuka asked.

"Akane will be home from the hospital on Thursday," Ran popped a sausage into her mouth with her chopsticks, "after school, me and Ukyo will be helping to get the rehab equipment into the dojo, so Akane won't have to go to the hospital for her exercises."

"Can we help?" Hiroshi's mouth was full of rice.

"Hai," Ran held up her hand to show off her wedding ring, "just remember me and Akane are hitched da."

This got some giggles and chuckles from the others, "Ukyo-kun isn't taken," Daisuke's comeback got Ukyo to blush and more sounds of amusement.

"Yare-yare," Ukyo's expression looked angry but her eyes vibrated with joy. Despite her tough exterior, the tall girl found the attention from the boys comforting.

"Maybe me and Yuka can come too," Yuka nodded at Sayuri's suggestion, "we could ask Kasumi if we could set up a welcome home party for Akane on Thursday," her gaze shifted to Ran, "or maybe a wedding celebration ne?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Ran's gaze was bright, "I pretty sure Akane misses her friends and it would be a great way to start her off on the road to recovery da."

"And a beginning for your marriage as well," Ukyo pointed out as she nibbled on a pickled plum.

"You don't sound mad about losing Ranm...losing Ran to Akane," Hiroshi sounded puzzled.

"Baka...I didn't loose, I got what I wanted," Ukyo looking at the remains of her bento, one lovingly created by her new mother, "a family."

For a moment there was a pause in the chatting, then Yuka asked the million-dollar question, "You seem pretty comfortable being a girl for the rest of your life, Ran-chan. Won't you miss being a boy ne?"

Ran thought for a moment, "I probably will, especially if I ever get into any fights with guys bigger than me," she took a sip of milk from her carton, "but with the way the curse was going, I was spending more time as a girl than as a guy and the roller-coaster effects was turning my life into one big soap opera and the lives of my friends like Ukyo, Akane and Shun Po," the redhead ate more rice before she continued, "also being a boy starting to get me down. Sure, I was being a man amongst men, but it felt...phony..." pressing her chopsticks to her lower lip, "like I was doing everything I could to match up with other people's expectations and not being myself."

"Sort of the grass is greener on the other side of the fence?" Hiroshi asked.

"Maybe," Ran closed her bento box, "maybe I was meant to be a girl in the first place, maybe I was fighting against my destiny all along," she shrugged a little before standing up, "whatever the reason, I'm going to be a girl I can be proud of being."

The group watched Ran leaving before Daisuke said, "You know, that last statement sure sounded like the old Ranma."

Everyone nodded.

The big test of the day for Ran came with the final period of school, the girls' locker room and PE. It did help all the girls were from Ran's homeroom, so they knew this wasn't pervert Ranma getting in some cheap trills. She did get some curious glances and a few hard glares, as if some of the girls were silently telling her to behave herself. What did surprise Ran was having Yuka and Sayuri flanking her and not seeming to mind the former boy getting an eyeful, "Yuka-chan, Sayuri-chan, you two don't seem to mind me being an ex-boy ne?"

"We'll let you in on a little secret, Ran-chan," Sayuri smiled as she pulled on her sports bra, "me and Yuka are les..."

"Bi-curious," Yuka cut in, folding her skirt and putting it in the locker.

Ran looked surprised, "So you weren't attracted to me as a boy wa?"

"Pinpoon," Sayuri held her thumb up, "now we are."

"In a way," Yuka gave a pleading look to her friend, slipping on her PE top.

"Was that why you hanged out with Akane?" Ran pulled on her own sports bra.

"Hai," Sayuri slipped on her blue buruma, "Akane is so...ano..."

"Tomboyish?" Ranma pulled down her top.

"Ee," Yuka agreed, "I'm pretty shy about this whole thing and Sayuri puts on a good act but she is shy too."

Sayuri flumed a little at Yuka before sighing, "Yeah, we're both shy and thought with how macho Akane was, she might be ano...the assertive type."

"Does Akane know?" Ranma pulled on her white stockings and shoes.

"Ne-ne, Yuka spilled the beans," Sayuri grinned at her friend.

Yuka giggled nervously, "I spilled my purse on a train platform and Akane was helping pick my stuff up, when she saw I had photos of her in her martial arts gi."

Ran wondered for a moment just how connected was Nabiki to every little secret desire and need the students had at Fuurinkan High School, "Was Akane mad?"

"More surprised than mad," Sayuri answered, putting on her shocks and shoes, "and she admitted she was lez-curious, but made us promise not to tell you."

"But you're telling me now?" Ran stood up.

"I figure no harm now," Sayuri finished dressing for PE, "you both married to each other as girls, so it does answer the question about how you both swing."

Ran blushed deeply, "Ano...it might have been different if Akane was a boy," then she giggled, "although I doubt I would've ended up with Akane with the way I was thinking at the time. Probably Nabiki or Kasumi."

The other girls giggled, "I remembered the time when you got into an argument with Akane," Yuka stood up, "and she tossed you to Nabiki."

"You could see the horns sticking out of Akane's hair," Sayuri stated as the three girls headed for the entrance to the gym, "she was only pretending to be concern about Nabiki staying alive with Uyko, Kodachi and Shampoo headhunting."

"Hai," Ran rubbed her nose before getting her crutches, "Oi, domo arigato, Yuka-chan, Sayuri-chan."

"Nani?" The two girls asked.

"For being such good friends to Akane and to me," Ran grinned, "this first day back to school is working out better than I'd hope for."

"You're a member of the sisterhood now, Ran-chan," Sayuri pointed out, "which makes a whole difference in the world."

"Yeah," Yuka agreed, "just wait until you have your first period."

"Maa..." Ran groaned.

The second day of school was easier than the first day for Ran. Much less chaos thanks to Himako-sensei's threat of draining anyone who annoyed her, as well as an agreement worked out between Ran and Nabiki where the redhead directed any curious student to the Ice Queen for answers, with payment of a nominal fee of course. Ran also got a chance to have fun in PE. The PE teacher had held her out the first day because she wasn't sure about Ran's status. Once that was decided in her favor, the fiery-haired girl was happy to sit on the floor and cheer on Yuka and Sayuri while they were playing volleyball.

After school was out Ran with Nabiki and Uyko walked together but the three girls weren't heading home or to Uyko's restaurant. Instead they made their way into Nerima's the little Chinatown, a twenty-minute stroll from Fuurinkan High School. As they got close to Nekohanten, Ukyo asked, "Are you sure about this, Ran-neechan?" Foreboding hinted in her tone, "Xian Pu could flip her purple wig and you're still using three legs to get around on wa."

"Why do you think I've been practicing my martial arts with them," calm certainty coming from Ran, "I didn't want to get caught flatfooted by one of Xian Pu's sudden visits at the Tendo compound," an approving expression showing on Nabiki's face, "so it's time for me to go onna offense da."

"That she-cat might go after Akane at the hospital," Uyko warned her redheaded sister, "she has tried to kill Akane before."

"So have you, Uu-chan, or should I say you've plotted with Xian Pu to do the same thing," the tomboy stopped by Nabiki's accusation, looking away from the pair in shame, "yet how do you feel now about my little sister ne?"

"I'm...I'm happy for her," Uyko trembled, "I...I always liked Akane...still do...and I know she liked me...if it wasn't for Ranma...Ran...we would've been the best of friends..." she smiled softly, sniffled, "just as I hope we will be."

Ukyo felt a hand squeeze her left forearm, finding Ran standing there, "I know Akane feels the same way about you, Uu-chan, despite her hair-trigger temper...she is pretty forgiving," a grin appearing on the cute face, "she has to with a hubby like me and a sister like Nabiki."

"Casting stones my way, Ran-chan?" Nabiki smirked, pushing up the curtain covering the top half of the Nekohanten entrance, "And here I've been thinking nothing but good thoughts about you."

Ran felt an icy finger run down her spine. Whenever Nabiki had good thoughts about anyone, it usually means the Ice Queen is plotting. The redhead studied the brown-haired girl's face for a moment, an innocent expression showing there, which caused Ran to experience a boatful of suspicions. Sighing, Ran hobbled into the restaurant. Inside both Ran and Uyko were surprised to find every table filled with Fuurinkan High students. Ran shot a look at Nabiki, who was staring intently up at the ceiling. Was this part of the middle sister's plot?

"Airen!" Ran expected the bouncy Amazon to gulp onto her, so the redhead was amazed when Shampoo stopped in midair and dropped onto her feet, "You are, Airen?" The teenager in the frilly apron and cute waitress outfit stared at Ran, "Hair is darker...you taller...buffed."

"Yare-yare, Xian Pu," Ran shook her head, "thanks for making me feel like some otachi!" Hearing the redhead bitch about being described as a diesel dyke brought a round of giggles and chuckles from her fellow students, which got a shrug from Ran, "Hai, things have changed." The redhead glanced at Cologne, who was in the kitchen, staring at her with her ancient eyes, "Kuh Lon, have you seen Mousse lately."

"Mousse is at Joketsuzoku," Cologne's expression unreadable, "he came home over a week ago badly injured, in need of extensive healing, so Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung came and took him to our village."

"One less psycho to deal with," Nabiki muttered in a stage whisper, causing the eyes of the two Amazons to narrow, before she made her way over to stand by the pickup window, where Cologne looked out.

Ran glared at Nabiki for her unkind words, before she turned back to Shampoo, "Gomen nasei, Xian Pu, of all fuck-ups in my life, the one with you can't blame on my o'fart of a father," she glanced at Uyko, who smiled at her new sister, "it was my macho attitude tha' brick-walled ya aspirations."

"What you mean?" Shampoo wasn't as dense as she sounded. In her spare time, those moments when she would daydream, she thought about how her life could have been different had a certain redheaded girl and her pet panda hadn't arrived at the Amazon village and consumed the celebration feast, which in turn caused the exhausted village champion to fight a battle of honor against the intruding girl and lose.

This wasn't easy for Ran, this was a matter of personal honor, what was more it was a matter of female honor, "Of all of the inazuke, it was my fault you become one of them, Xian Pu, which meant yours was the strongest, it was the one I should've honored."

As the words were spoken by Ran, Shampoo felt her heart fluttering, her mind blooming in joy at hearing her beloved actually recognizing her claim, actually saying her assertion of marriage was the best of all of them. Then came the clunker at the end, "Should honor?"

Ran nodded, held up her hand to show the wedding ring, "Hai, Xian Pu, I've married Akane...I'm...I'm not a guy anymore...Mousse and I got into a rumble and Akane got hurt badly...I saved her but...I made a choice. I'm no longer Saotome Ranma...he died that night. Now I'm Tendo Ran."

The brightness of Shampoo's purple hair became more noticeable as the color drained from her face. Her eyes moved immediately to Cologne, who nodded, "The aura of Nyanniichuan is gone," awe showing in her wizened features, "the magic of the wedding ring is very powerful, where did you get it?"

"An old man gave it to me," Ran's baby blues shimmered with emotions.

"Only something gifted by the Gods could break the power of a Jusenkyou curse," Cologne sighed, her sad gaze shifted to Shampoo, where her ancient eyes widen.

It was hard to tell when Shampoo had stopped hearing what the others were saying. Every inch of her female body was shaking, her hands clinching so tight, her expression going from shock to pain to anguish while loose strands of her purple hair stood on end. Finally her eyes locked on Ran, the source of all her suffering turning the ball of ice in her stomach to an raging inferno, "Ranma...die!"

The blur of motion of Ukyo came between Ran and Shampoo, while two twin scimitars magically appeared in the Amazon's hands. Without hesitation, the redhead scooped up the cross-dresser with her crutches and tossed her over to where Hiroshi and Daisuke stood, each having stand at Shampoo's scream, "Hiroshi-kun, Daisuke-kun, take care of my imoto!"

There was a second of hesitancy, a flicker of conscious in Shampoo's eyes when she heard Ran address Ukyo as a younger sister, a few precious seconds which allowed Fuurinkan High students to either flee from the Nekohanten or move into the safety of the kitchen to watch.

Hiroshi and Daisuke caught Uyko and hustled her into the kitchen where they held her tight by the shoulders and waist, "Looks like there is going to be big trouble in little China," Hiroshi observed.

A hurricane of purple wrath ripped into Ran, but despite how much the steel wind surrounded the redhead, she was able to stay avoid its deadly caress. The jaws of several of the students drop as they watched the redhead seeming to float in the air, using her one good leg and her crutches to keep herself in constant motion. It wasn't a big surprise to Nabiki how graceful Ran moved, she had watched the martial artist practice with the crutches every day, using them to do even the most simplest things just to become more and more dexterous with them, but she smirked at the expressions of awe on the faces of Hiroshi, Daisuke and many of the other students from Fuurinkan High School. Ran's body was the balance of the extremes of her former bodies. She didn't have the high muscled power of her large male body nor did she have the blinding speed of her petite female body. The combination of the two extremes in perfect yin-yang balance caused Shampoo to look like the she was the one with a physical disadvantage. Soon the tables were cleared of by the sweeps of Shampoo's blades and Ran's fancy footwork.

"Kuh Lon," the Amazon matriarch looked at Nabiki, "doesn't Xian Pu practice every day with the sabers?" The ancient one nodded, "So she is purposely being sloppy and leaving herself open to attack ne?" Cologne sighed, nodded, "You mean she isn't trying to bait Ran into a trap ka?"

"Xian Pu wants to die," Cologne's voice creaked with sadness.

"So ka..." Nabiki continued to watch the battle between Ran and Shampoo, while talking to the elder, "I take it the Amazon Council takes a dim view about failure. I mean it was they who put the Jusenkyou whammy on Xian Pu after she failed with the Kiss of Death on Ranma."

"The only reason Xian Pu escaped with only the Jusenkyou curse as punishment," Cologne's expression was very sad, "was because she had given the Kiss of Marriage to Ranma, not knowing about Ranma's curse."

"What would have happened if Xian Pu hadn't given the Kiss of Marriage by accident," Nabiki held up one finger, "or Ranma hadn't intervened to protect Akane from your grand-daughter," she held up two fingers, "or if a fresh-as-a-daisy Xian Pu was defeated by Ranma as a girl wa?" the Tendo sister held up a third finger.

"Under our ancient laws, Xian Pu would loose all of her heritance from me, be stripped of her warrior status and be auction off as a slave," with each word Cologne's eyes grew sadder.

Nabiki nodded slowly, her expression showing she had expected this answer, "Then Kuh Lon, I have a deal for you."

If an amateur like Nabiki, someone who practiced martial arts once a week, could spot how vulnerable Shampoo was leaving herself to counter-attacks, then so did Ran. Furthermore there wasn't the cold-blooded rage the redhead had seen when the purple-haired Amazon tried to fulfill the Kiss of Death, instead the girl had the look of despair, of dreams and hopes crushed into dust. With the tip of her cast-encased foot, Ran flipped up a table into Shampoo's face. In the two seconds it took the Amazon warrior to demolish the table into kindling with her right blade, Ran used the arm rest of her right crutch to catch the bottom of the pommel of Shampoo's left saber, diving it up out of the Amazon's hand to impale itself into the restaurant's ceiling. In the same action, the redheaded martial artist slide her left crutch down Shampoo's right sword, hooked the hand guard and yanked it out of her hand.

For a moment Shampoo stood there, staring at Ran, both hands numbed and trembling, with everyone expecting the Amazon to pull out more weapons. Instead Ran didn't give her a chance, in one hop on her good leg, the female martial artist embraced the super-cute Amazon, holding her tight about the waist and shoulders, a pair of petite lips whispering, "Gomen nasai, Xian Pu."

Shampoo was always told it wasn't the Amazon way to cry. Only men were weak and craven, only men cared nothing about those they wound and hurt with lies. An Amazon was a warrior of honor and virtue, a female soldier able to succeed against all comers with her wits and skills. With all of years of training and teaching, yet Shampoo couldn't stop tears welling up out of her pretty eyes, her hands clutching to Ran's shoulder while her face press to the redhead's neck, her wails muffled.

The students of Fuurinkan High School relaxed, knowing the duel was over, with some of them moving to the exits and a few exchanging money on bets. Hiroshi and Diasuke let go of Ukyo, who gave both boys dirty looks, letting them know in no uncertain terms how lucky they were she was disabled and unarmed. The cross-dresser stood behind Ran, watching while Shampoo's shoulders shook as she continue to cry, the tall teenager knew the same tortured feelings the Amazon was experiencing.

When Cologne and Nabiki joined Ukyo, Shampoo pulled back from Ran, rubbing her reddened eyes, her voice choking with emotions, saying in Mandarin Chinese, "I am ready to go back to Joketsuzoku, Great-Grandmother. I have failed the Kiss of Marriage and I cannot fulfill the Kiss of Death on Ranm...on Ran, I have neither the skill nor the will to do so."

"No, Xian Pu," Ran's Mandarin Chinese was very rusty, "You no go and die. This Twentieth Century, not barbaric era where failure rewarded with death."

"There is no need for anymore soap opera," Cologne balanced on her walking stick, her Mandarin Chinese sounded very old, "and former Son-in-Law is correct in one way. You are not going back to Joketsuzoku and face the Council's judgment."

"How wonderful it is for everyone to speak in a foreign language," Nabiki drew puzzled looks from the others, "I can't help it I majored in English instead of Classic Chinese," her eyes locking on Ran's baby blues, "although I am surprised how good your street Chinese is, Ran-chan."

"Arigato," Ran turned to Cologne, the redhead switching back to Japanese, "What do you mean, Kuh Lon? You are the highest elder of Joketsuzoku. By your own words you are the bearer of Amazon law and its enforcer."

"That is correct, Ran-chan," Cologne's expression no longer showing sadness, "and Xian Pu would suffer the full weight of Amazon tradition," a smile showing on her thin lips, "if she was still an Amazon."

Hiroshi spit out the tea he was drinking while Daisuke's eyes widen, "Nani!" came from the rest of the crowd, except for Nabiki, who grinned like Godzilla stomping through Tokyo. Of course this drew Ran's attention, "Nabiki-neechan, is this what you were thinking about earlier na?"

"Guilty as charged," Nabiki folded her arms over her chest, "after spending hours with my laptop, researching Amazon culture, reading about its laws and relationships with different governments their villages are located in, I found enough information that I could use just in case Akane did win the Inazuke 500 Race, or at least some sort of defense in case my dear little sister ended up in Amazon court on a charge of murdering a certain purple-haired hellcat."

Shampoo looked at Cologne, then at Nabiki before returning to her great-grandmother, pointing at herself, "Me not Amazon?"

"When the constitution for Japan was created by occupation forces of the United States of America, under General Douglas McArthur, it was done so it appeared the to be the work of the Japanese intermediary government," Nabiki held up her notebook, the one she had shown Cologne during the duel between Shampoo and Ran, "as such this constitution was immediately adopted without checking all of the fine print, including giving all Japanese women the right to vote, a guarantee representation of all political organizations in the Japanese Diet and one very important clause."

"Which is?" Ran was sure Nabiki wanted a dramatic moment.

"The Chinese Amazon Citizenship," Cologne smiled at Nabiki's answer, while Shampoo looked just as confused as Ukyo, while Ran sighed and crossed her arms, "you see, United States intelligence service already concluded the democratic government of China was going to fail in its civil war against the Chinese Communists in 1948, which is why then United States Secretary of State, former General of the Army George Marshall, advised then United States President Harry Truman to end American support for democratic government of China. He had concluded further support of a corrupt government would only lead to more years of famine, death and suffering on the part of the Chinese people."

"How does this history lesson connect to this clause?" Ukyo was fascinated by Nabiki's narrative.

"The American occupation administration in Japan saw the writing on the wall, and knew it was only a matter of time before a complete takeover of mainland China by the Chinese Communists, which could also mean several of China's minorities could become targets of repression by the new government," Nabiki's tone showed she was really getting into it, "so with the permission of the commander of the American Occupation Forces of Japan, General Douglas McArthur, the Chinese Amazon Citizenship clause was added way down in the multiple paragraphs of the constitution."

"This was something I didn't know about," Cologne admitted as she looked up at Nabiki, "the Chinese Amazons did fight against the Japanese during the last world war, but we establish no alliances or accept aid from any outsiders. The only time we actually worked with outsiders was with some American meteorologists, who accidentally parachuted into the middle of an Amazon village."

"Those Amazons must have left a positive impression on those American soldiers," Ran was finally seeing where Nabiki was going, "Nabiki-neechan, this clause, it gives Chinese Amazons a chance for Japanese citizenship wa?"

"Hai," Nabiki grinned a little wider, "as you know, while women were given full citizenship under the constitution, others were not, including anyone who wasn't pure Japanese, like the Korean families brought to Japan as laborers during the 20th and 19th Century and even earlier. This is the only clause that allows a non-Japanese to become a Japanese citizen."

"I be Japanese?" Shampoo was still very confused, but the tone of her voice was hopeful, "But Kiss of Death? The Amazon Council."

"I'm not allowing my only great-granddaughter to suffer anymore from the judgments of old fools, including myself," as Cologne spoke, Nabiki pulled out an official application from her notebook, holding it so everyone could see the letterhead: Japanese Citizenship Form. Most of the form was already filled out in flowing Japanese handwriting, signed at the bottom by the elder matriarch's signature and her seal.

Ran leaned down to look closer to the document, noting Nabiki's signature below Cologue's signature, along with the Tendo Soun's seal, "I hope Soun can handle having another girl around the house."

"He handled having his youngest daughter marrying another girl pretty well," Nabiki's teeth flashed, bringing laughter from the others, before she turned to Shampoo, "I know it is a lot to take in all at once, Xian Pu, but isn't this better than slavery or forcing Ran to kill you wa yo."

Shampoo nodded slowly before turning to Cologne, bowing to the elder, "Thank you, Great-grandmother," her face tearstained, I...I never wanted disappoint you...I hoped make you very proud of me."

"I was always proud of you, Xian Pu," Cologne reached out and gently squeezed one of Shampoo's hands, "and I still am. This is the beginning of a new future and not just for you. In this world of weapons that can wipe out whole cities in a blink of an eye, the isolation of the Amazon villages no longer protects them. Becoming a ward of the Tendo family will give you the refuge to grow and learn. While you will no longer be a part of any Amazon village, you are still blood of my blood, your soul a kin to my soul. My prayers will be for you upon your journey into this new brave world."

Shampoo gently kissed Cologne's wrinkled cheek, before straightening, looking at Nabiki, "Let me get my things from my room."

Nabiki nodded and while Shampoo went up stairs, Nabiki went to support Ran since there wasn't much left of her crutches, the redhead saying, "I hope Akane will be okay with this arrangement."

"Why do you say that, Ran-neechan?" Ukyo got out the broom and dustpan to help clean up the broken cups and dishes.

"Ran-chan is worried that Akane will think it is a big plot to keep Ranma's harem together," Nabiki held her little sister around her waist with the martial artist doing the same, the older sister displayed a toothy grin, "and maybe it is or maybe it isn't."

"Oya maa..." Ukyo paled a little, remembering Akane's temper and for once glad she wasn't in Ran's shoes.


	8. Epilog

Series Title: Glory Days

Story Title: Orchid in Full Bloom

By Horosha

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications and Kitty Productions

If you have any comments, my email address is:

V_Bashaw

WARNING: This is an adult fanfic so if you are under the age of 18 or you don't want to read a work that contains adult situations and content, like sex and violence, stop here.

Forward: A while ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a Ranma fanfic where Ranma voluntarily choose to be a full girl. In other words, Ranma decides to stay female. Now anyone who has read Ranma fanfics know, this is a common theme in many of them, but in those, Ranma is either forced to be female by some outside influence (as in Girl Days) or Ranma was originally a girl at birth and was forced to be male (as in Genma's Daughter). I have yet to find one where Ranma choose to be female was made of his own free will.

So I'm giving it a shot.

Epilog: When I'm Seventeen

The white limousine pulled up to the main entrance to the Tendo residence. The back door closest to the door opened, which allowed Ran to climb out of the backseat with her crutches, "I wish I could just carry Akane to our home, Tofu-sensei."

"I don't need another patient having a relapse," Doctor Tofu came out of the other backdoor, heading for the back of the long automobile, heading for the trunk.

"Yare-yare," Ran growled, her dark red hair nicely complimented her dark green blouse, pale green knee skirt and black tights. The sound of the soft giggle drew her eyes down to Akane, still seated, her pink turtleneck sweater cling to her upper body while her creamy white slacks help show off the curves.

"Let Xian Pu help!" Shampoo came out of the front entrance, her cheeks red from the nip of chill in the springtime air. She stopped suddenly at the open car door, bowing deeply to Akane, "Konnichiwa, Akane-chan," her young body in a bright yellow sweater and tights with an unzipped red jacket to aid in warmth. The purple-haired girl expression was pleading, trying to overcome the disdain coming from seated girl. Akane looked at Ran, who swallowed at the intensity coming from her wife, before the dark-haired girl sighed and held out her arms to Shampoo.

"Yatta!" Only Shampoo grinned as she leaned into the backseat, her strong arms going around Akane's back and the underside of her legs, while Akane's arms went around Shampoo's neck. Carefully Shampoo lifted Akane out of the limousine, turning her whole body while Doctor Tofu rolled the wheelchair to that side of the car.

"I see we are here just in time," Nodoka smiled at the group around the back of the car, the elder woman having to forego her usual kimono for thick cotton slacks, shirt and heavy boots, which matched Ukyo's Scottish red-and-black plaid outfit, "Okaeri, Akane-chan."

Akane smiled at Nodoka before her gazed shifted to Ukyo, who's right arm was still held immobile against her chest, "It is so good to see you, Akane-chan," puffs of breath coming from the tomboy's lips, "I really missed you."

Shampoo placed Akane carefully in the wheelchair, before she fished out Akane's purse from the backseat and gave it to her former rival-in-love. Akane opened the purse and pulled out a piece of white chalk and a small chalkboard. Since coming out of her drug-induced coma, Akane had been practicing her writing ever minute she wasn't pulled away by food, sleep and the rehab center down in the hospital basement. Akane carefully wrote on the black surface before holding it up for all to see, "Harem."

"Kya iie zo!" Ran shook her head, held her hands up in surrender while armrests of her crutches held firm by her armpits, "I had no idea what my mother or Nabiki were planning to do!"

"Honto?" the new word on the slate board.

"Honto-honto," Giggles and laughter came from the rest of the women, with a cute smile on Akane's lips. Ran sighed with relief when she realized her beloved was teasing her, "I'm glad things did work out the way they did," she leaned down, kissing Akane on the lips, "and I missed you a lot da."

Clapping came from the entrance to the compound, where Kasumi, Nabiki, Sayari and Yaka stood, "Come on, everyone," Nabiki grinned, "you're missing the celebration."

Akane blinked and looked at everyone, "It's a wedding celebration," Ran told her, another soft kiss to Akane's lips, "our friends insisted on it."

Akane blushed and rubbed a tear from the corners of her eyes. Ran moved to push the wheelchair but Shampoo got there first, "Xian Pu push chair for Akane-chan." So Ran ended up hobbling on her crutches next to Akane, one of her hands holding one of her beloved's hands.

Music reached their ears as the group moved closer to the dojo, where several students from Fuurinkan High School stood chatting or eating, while a few further inside danced to a jazz song played by a student band. Ran felt her hand squeezed, looked down at the blushing Akane, who whispered softly, her words slurred as she worked her tongue around them, "Anata...ai shite'ru yo."

"I love you too," Ran replied, squeezing Akane's hand, "now and forever."

Kasumi smiled at hearing the exchanged of words between Akane and Ran, saying to Nabiki, "It is a magic time when you're seventeen."

"Hai," Nabiki agreed.

Footnotes:

A friend of mine is a big fan of Ranko fanfics, but she wanted one where Ranma voluntarily choose to become fully female. From my own readings, most of the Ranko stories either have Ranma discovering he was really born as a female or someone forces him to be fully female with magic, giving him no choice in the matter. Rape has also been used in some stories, locking Ranma in girl form because she is pregnant.

One thing I come away from the Ranma canon is Ranma willingness to sacrifice to save others. So my conclusion is Ranma would willingly sacrifice his maleness to save Akane. Also to some degree, Ranma is pretty adeptable to new situations and circumstances. It is very interesting despite all his talk about getting rid of the curse, he only tries to a couple of times without success. At other times Ranma is willing to accept circumstances or situations with only some verbal protests. Ranma has a very high degree of adaptablilty.

This is the first installment of a new series by me, but don't expect the next installment to come anytime soon. I have two other series I'm working on, but I hope you will like them as well. So in some degree this is an introduction story, an eighty-eight pages introduction story true, but it should give you and idea as to where I'm heading. Yes, I did leave several story threads unfinished but they will be concluded later.

The reason I went back to an older style, using Japanese words in the story, was because I felt it would work fine here. Most of the words are familiar ones for anyone who watches fansubs or subtitled anime. Some of them are Japanese slang and are meant to add color to the story.

If you are curious about the name of the series, Glory Days, it comes from a Bruce Springsteen song, which spoke of the days of high school as glory days, times when things were great and wonderful, when each moment was lived to its fullest.

I did try to stay as much as possible in-character, but once you introduce new situations, then there is the necessity of allowing character development to occur, to allow the characters to learn from the new experiences and grow.

Most of the locations used in Ranma can be found on a map of Nerima and Japan. Nerima itself is suburb of Tokyo, located north-west of the megacity, and can be reached by going on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. Until its urban development, this area was mostly farming and still known for dankon radishes, but it also has several colleges and universities as well as several anime companies. Nerima represents the sleepy small towns which dot the map of Japan, which are used as background in Japanese anime like Ranma, Yamada and many others.

What are the origins of Ranma? Rumiko was the only girl in a family of seven boys. So she was exposed to shoren manga her brothers would read. Another source was the mangaki she learned the manga craft from, was the creator of the Crying Freeman series. Another possible influence was the successful Yawara manga, where the main character is a female judo champion. The Yawara anime and the Ranma anime were done by Kitty Productions, with evidence there were some cross-influence between the two series. There is even a parody song done in the anime about Yawara in Ranma. Although Ranma was a huge hit outside of Japan, it was Yawara that was more popular in Japan. One of the reasons for the popularity of Yawara was the inclusion of judo as a women's event in the Summer Olympics for 1992 and the winning of a silver medal in judo by a Japanese female athlete. This same woman became the first female athlete to win five Olympic medals at five different Olympics. Currently she is a popular politician.

Trying to write a dramatic fanfic from what is in essence is a gag comedy manga/anime is hard. Even Rumiko admitted in an interview, the one reason she didn't finish Ranma was because of the tangle of plotlines was too big to untangle even for her. Ranma is meant to be a gag comedy and in some of the one-shot stories it became a parody of itself. Like some of the animated episodes of Sailor Moon in the later seasons, they are funny and fun to read and watch, but character development and story progression takes a backseat. Towards the end of the manga series, when dealing with Nodoka and the Musk Dynasty do you have a return of a balance between drama, comedy and character development, but as shown in the last Ranma story, the wedding fiasco, Rumiko couldn't let it go without turning it into a gag.

I know there are some characters that I didn't handle in the story, but I really couldn't come up with a good way to get them in. I did think of having Hikaru Gosunkugi show up at the hospital dressed as a female nurse, but I decided against it.

Ran instead of Ranko. The reason I went for Ran as Ranma choice for a new name was pretty simple. In my mind, I believed Ranma would be ashamed of the pretense he performed with his father and the Tendo family to hid himself behind the illusion of Tendo Ranko. For him to adopt the name of Ranko as his new name, I thought would be too much of a reminder of his shameful, unmanly hoax. By choosing Ran, I figured it would serve as two purposes: One to allow Ranma to have a nice female name, and two a more modern spelling of a girl's name. Nowadays the traditional endings for girls' names are not used as often.

The harem. Yes, I have preserved the harem. Why? Because I enjoy all of the characters, even Kuno and Kodachi. Of course I have given them new roles and new reasons to be around Ran and the Tendo family. Since I do plan to write more stories in this series, it would be better to keep the familiar characters together so I don't have to bring in any original characters more than I have to. I'll probably even shake a few of Rumiko's own stories to see if I can use some of the minor characters from them.

I really get tired of hearing the so-called experts on Japanese manga and animation say how most portrayals of gays and lesbians characters in manga and anime are self-destructive and negative. In fact sexuality identity is a hallmark of Japanese manga and later, anime, going clean back to its early beginnings. Genderbending, sexual confusion, individual self-identity and the resurrection of self can be used for comedy, tragedy and drama. Both gay and lesbian characters are found on the sides of good, evil or indifferent. In some ways American understanding of sex and gender roles in manga and anime, were limited by the material translated into English. If you really want to understand this element better, I would recommend reading any books written by Frederik L. Schodt.

Ukyo was the only character that surprised me as I wrote the story. I was having a hard time coming up with a purpose and reason for her to stay with the group once she lost the marriage war. I reread parts of Ukyo's story and thought hard about her relationship with her father, with Akane and with Ranma. It dawned on me or maybe Ukyo whispered to me, what she really wanted was a family that accepted her femininity. Her turnabout on Ranma was caused because of his statement about her looking cute, feminine. In Japanese society, family is a part of individual identity. I also did a better job in presenting Kuno Tatewaki. The first time around he only got a walk-on and it was pretty weak.

GPS in Tokyo taxis: While I have no idea if a Tokyo taxi would have a GPS system, they might. The addresses for Tokyo and many of the other major cities of Japan are a mess. The reason for this is the addresses are a mix from small towns and rural locations. During the occupation of Japan after the last world war, the Americans established an address system, which are used in the United States. Once the occupation ended, the Japanese government went back to the old system and the chaos ensured. Even today, taxi companies and postal services depend very much on the memory of their employees, when it comes to taking people to their right destinations and taking their mail to the right locations.

This is my second attempt to write this fanfic. My first attempt to create this story was lost after I had wrote 68 pages, as my computer's hard drive was hit by a virus and I had to reformat it. I don't know if this is even close in quality my first attempt. For me writing is creation, it is like catching lightning in a bottle. I did cover the same territory in my second attempt as I did in my first one, and I was even able to add a few scenes, which gave some characters better opportunities to express themselves. Sometimes I feel like I'm more of a recorder of factual events than I am a fictional writer. I write something creative each day, pushing myself to keep my creative juices going either by way of fanfic writing or MU rpging.

I also sucked in a lot of information from reading fiction and non-fiction, always looking at different angles and not accepting the agreed upon conclusions or observations. As an old political said, "The truth is surrounded by a bodyguard of lies." So is it true with fictional writing, what might be looked up as established truth or what is commonly called canon, doesn't always mean this is the complete truth. For example, I was struck at how dissimilar each version of Ranma was. We have manga Ranma, television Ranma, OVA Ranma and movie Ranma. I have watched and read all of them and do find subtle differences.

If some of you are wondering why Nodoka told Genma about Akane and Ranma being seventeen before their birthdays, in Japan is both officially and by tradition that a person's age is increased at the beginning of the New Year. One of the reasons for giving kids and teenagers gifts of money by parents and relatives at this time was not only to celebrate the New Year, but also those children's becoming one year older, so in some ways a kid in Japan celebrate his/her birthday in two parts, at New Years Day and on their birthday. In traditional Japan, this was meant to take care of children who were born and the parents didn't know the birthday


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